THE PRIORITY AND GOALS OF THE US NAVAL POLICY AND MARITIME STRATEGE

Khlopov O.A.
PhD (Political Science), associate professor, Department of American Studies
Russian State University for the Humanity, c. Moscow

THE PRIORITY AND GOALS OF THE US NAVAL POLICY AND MARITIME STRATEGE

Abstract

The article covers the problem of maritime strategy of the Unites States of America from the point of the main theoretical approaches in the field of international relations theory — political realism and geopolitics. The purpose of the article is aimed to reveal the naval policy and military concept of the USA in world ocean and the factors that influence the United States to adopt a new maritime strategy of the XXI century. After the collapse of the bipolar system a naval strategy plays a key role in US national security policy while being influenced by a number of factors external and internal nature/ The US Navy strategy has passed several stages of transformation to be adopted to the world changes and new challenges in order to preserve the US leadership on sea and in the world.

Keywords: sea power, maritime strategy, US navy, international relations, world trade, Russia, China.
Ключевые слова: морская сила, военно-морская стратегия, военно-морской флот США, международные отношения, мировая торговля, Россия, Китай.

The oceans occupy 70% of the Earth’s surface, 80% of humanity lives a few hundred kilometers from the ocean coast, more than 80% world trade accounts for maritime trade. The world ocean is the most important source of mineral, energy and biological resources. Increased resource demand, depletion of available natural reserves, and the further development of international economic relations are leading to the fact that in the XXI century the role of the world ocean will constantly increase.

More than 60% of world oil trade is provided by tanker shipments, and almost 90% of Middle Eastern oil exported pass through several bottlenecks of sea trade routes: the Strait of Hormuz, The Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, the Suez Canal, the Malacca Strait, The Bosporus and the Dardanelles Straits, The Strait of Gibraltar. Directed pressure on any of these strategic facilities can cause serious damage to world trade in oil and liquefied natural gas and cause shock in the commodity markets. That is why it is extremely important to ensure the stable functioning of these points of maritime routes.

Ensuring the safety of maritime transport in the Middle East and North Africa is provided through the presence of the US military. US military bases are located in Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq (controlling the Strait of Hormuz). The US military is present in Djibouti (the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait), Turkey is a member of NATO (the Black Sea straits), as in Spain (the Strait of Gibraltar). The factor of the US military presence must be taken into account when talking about the potential threat to all important straits. The Persian Gulf is the responsibility of the Fifth Fleet of the United States. According to the calculations of the Brookings Research Institute, the United States spends about $ 50 billion annually to ensure the safety of offshore oil transportation.

The oceans are a source not only of opportunities for global and regional development, but also a broad spectrum of challenges of national and international security. Along with the traditional political-military threats, the scale of the problems of socio-economic, legal and environmental nature is constantly growing. Increased attention to the resources of the World Ocean also leads to aggravation of territorial disputes between the states and destabilization of the law of the sea. Over the past decades a sea power has been one of the most important tools of American foreign policy. At the same time the dominant position of the United States in the oceans is facing some challenges and threats.

The purpose of this article is to determine the role and place of the modern US naval strategy within American policy of national security, as well as the main trends of its development. After the collapse of the bipolar system of international relations naval strategy plays a key role in USA national security policy while being influenced by a number of factors external and internal nature, this strategy has passed several stages of transformation.

The theoretical and methodological basis of the analyses of navy strategy should be the paradigms of political realism that argues that on the word arena the fundamental principles are based on the key role of a sovereign state and the anarchic nature of international relations. In accordance with the ideas of neorealism by Kenneth Waltz [13] international relations and world politics are interpreted in terms of system analysis.

From this point the naval strategy is as each sea power may be considered from the point of synthesis of the classical theories of sea power of Alfred Mahen [3,][ 9]. The problem of strengthening the power of a state is considered by gaining dominance over the sea space, ultimately aimed at ensuring the freedom of maritime trade that is the essence of maritime civilization or «world trade civilization».

In the post-bipolar period it is very important to understand the US naval perspectives and the concept of US strategy in world oceans, develop an optimal approach for Russia to conduct her maritime policy as well as a more complete understanding of US military and navy problems in the current international political process and.
In examination of the naval strategy are involved primarily US experts from the Naval College, the Naval Academy and Naval Institute of the USA, as well as experts from the leading American research centers at the RAND Corporation, Center for Naval analysis, Center for a New American Security.

During “the cold war” the United States had the Blue-water Navy Strategy as a national maritime force capable to fulfill operations across the deep waters of open oceans [3]. A blue-water navy allows a country to project power far from the home country and usually includes one or more aircraft carriers. Smaller blue-water navies were able to dispatch fewer vessels abroad for shorter periods of time [12]. Blue-water capability of USA is referred to an oceangoing fleet able to operate on the high sea far from its nation’s homeports [11].

One of the main priorities of this strategy was to achieve a decisive superiority at sea over any potential adversary and increase the offensive role of naval forces in the overall system of military operations. The theory of combat of the US Navy included:

• the concept of «advanced maritime frontiers», which prescribed the maintenance of a nuclear missile threat along the perimeter of the Soviet maritime borders and interception of the initiative from the very beginning of hostilities;
• the principle of “flexible use of forces in operations”, which means the rapid strengthening of naval groups in the required areas to a given timeframe and their flexible engagement in accordance with the current operational situation [12].

In the 1990-s and ant the beginning of 21 century, the US leadership shifted the focus of its actions from the tasks of global confrontation to the problems of regional conflicts, substantially changing all the provisions of its “maritime strategy”[14]. By 2000, the number of ships of the main classes in the US Navy was 265 units and the number of personnel — about 369 thousand people, not counting the marine corps and aviation.

After the end of the “cold war”, the United States not only retained its status of a sea power, but actually became the only «sea superpower». Previous «Mistress of the Seas» British Empire on the peak of its power adhered to the «standard of the two powers» that implied that Britain should have a stronger fleet than the combined fleets of the two largest sea powers after it.
In 2015 the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, and U.S. Marine Corps released a revised maritime strategy entitled “A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower,” calling for all domain access U.S. forward naval presence and emphasizing cooperation between the United States and its allies in the face of various global maritime challenges. It also indicated the growing importance of the Asia-Pacific region. Thus, this Sea Strategy defines the existing threats, the role, tasks and directions of further development of the marine components of the armed forces — the Navy, Marine corps and Coast guard [1].

The “Strategy” is the first after the naval strategy of the R. Reagan administration that existed for more than twenty years, replacing conceptual installations of «strategies» «From the Sea» and «Sea Power XXI century. After years of domination transoceanic approach American naval strategy again began to rely on oceanic approach, and the key idea of this strategy has become the need to protect the global maritime trade system which is the basis of the modern global economy.

The document emphatically stresses the need for a fleet of at least 300 ships including 11 carriers, 33 amphibious ships, and 14 ballistic missile subs for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. It is important to note that this document is an unclassified public strategy. There is also a classified text, unavailable to the public, outlining operational plans, specific tactics in details.
U.S. naval forces are facing a myriad of challenges on the world’s oceans. The document underlines that “today’s global security environment is characterized by the rising importance of the Indo-Asia-Pacific region, the ongoing development and fielding of anti-access/area denial capabilities that challenge US global maritime access, continued threats from expanding and evolving terrorist and criminal networks, the increasing frequency and intensity of maritime territorial disputes and threats to maritime commerce, particularly the flow of energy” [1].

The main differences of the updated strategy from the previous edition of 2007 are: the delegation of naval forces of the function of providing access to all operating environments on the conduct of hostilities; the specialization of countries and terrorist organizations that threaten U.S. national security, which includes China, Russia, North Korea and Iran; development of breakthrough innovative technologies as one of the priority ways of improving the combat capabilities; the primary orientation of the Asia-Pacific region. Navy the U.S. Navy traces its origins from the time of the war of independence, playing an important role in the civil war in the United States, blockading the Confederacy and establish control over its rivers. He played a Central role in the defeat of the Second world war on Imperial Japan. Naval forces of the United States emerged from the Second world war with the most powerful Navy in the world.

US Navy XXI century support a significant global presence in regions such as the Western Pacific ocean, the Mediterranean sea and the Indian ocean. Navy the United States is able to send forces to the coastal regions of the world, to participate in advanced deployments, in peacetime and rapidly respond to regional crises, making it a frequent participant in foreign and military policy of the United States [6].

The updated strategy of 2015 is designed for ten years. It reveals the views of the US military leadership on the most significant challenges and threats to the US national security in the changed conditions of the geopolitical situation in the world, defines the basic requirements for the maritime components of national armed forces in terms of their readiness to meet the challenges to promote and protect American interests in the ocean and sea zones.

Maritime policy is widely discussed in USA news publications and special editions («National Defense Magazine», «Navy News», «Navy Times», «Defense Daily», «Defense News, «Breaking Defense»). All these publications posses a general idea about the need for USA to «building a modern and capable force.» [2] and welcomed the plan to build a 350-ship Navy (up from 272 ships in service today) [5].

According to the navy experts the concept of all domain access – probably the most important element of the new strategy – has a very strong cyber component that can be summarized the five pillars of all domain access:

1. Battle space awareness, which requires ‘persistent surveillance‘ of not only the physical environment but cyberspace and the electromagnetic spectrum as well.
2. Assured command and control, which requires US communications networks to operate reliably and securely in the face of enemy jamming and hacking.
3. Cyberspace operations, “including both defensive and offensive measures.”
4. Electromagnetic Maneuver Warfare, a new Navy concept for masking friendly emissions radar, radio, and so on, and deceiving or disrupting the enemy’s.
5. Integrated fires, which seeks to reduce reliance on a limited supply of expensive missiles by using jamming, hacking, lasers, and rail guns (Freedberg, 2015).

So the Strategy proves the value of naval forces in maintaining the American way of life by maintaining safe operations, global trade via the sea. It recognizes that there is a global system of connected economies which depends on the freedom of movement across the seas and oceans — the main means for the transit of 90% of world trade by weight and volume. The strategy stresses that the vital interests of the United States could best be fulfilled due to the fact that marine power, located on the front edge, arranged in front, allowing them to prevent, deter, limit, and localize conflicts, wars in the global system of world politics.

Today, despite the development of China’s sea power and a number of other powers, the US Navy cumulative tonnage exceeds 13 the world’s largest fleets combined, of which 11 belong to allies and partners of the United States. Over the past decades, a sea power has been one of the most important tools of American foreign policy. However, the dominant position of the United States in the oceans is facing external and internal threats and the sea power of the United States is largely dependent on the development of international relations in the future.

In November 2018 the U.S. Navy’s top officer Admiral. John Richardson released an updated version of his strategy document an expanded version heavy on goals for specific programs that extend beyond his tenure as chief of naval operations. According to his view and understanding there are some challenges that US navy is facing in the changing geopolitics today:

1. China and Russia seek to redefine the norms of the entire international system on terms more favorable to themselves, and so the U.S. competitive advantage has shrunk and, in some areas, is gone all together. The U.S. Navy must be agile to keep pace with technology and the tactics of adversaries.

2. Under Strengthening Naval Power there are a number of strategic goals – including standing up the new Norfolk-based 2nd Fleet, which will control ships, submarines and aircraft based out of Norfolk; developing new concepts of operations that focus on fighting as a more spread-out force able to cover more territory through networking sensors; continuing to apply the lessons learned from the two fatal guided-missile destroyer accidents in 2017. Other initiatives include integrating more artificial intelligence and machine learning into warfare systems, as well as 3D printing for replacement parts [8].

In his article Patrick Cronin, a senior fellow and chair for Asia-Pacific Security at Hudson Institute published at Center for International Maritime Security pointed to the following sources of concern for US:

First, the seas are at risk from a growing competition over international rules. Revisionist major powers like Russia and China, but also regional states such as Iran and North Korea, increasingly pose challenges to traditional maritime security.

Secondly, non-traditional security threats from piracy, terrorism, and illegal trafficking by non-state actors, including transnational criminal syndicates.
Thirdly, maritime order in the oceans is at severe risk from a growing global population’s use of the oceans, problems such as massive overfishing. The oceans face multiple stressors, including increased human use of maritime resources as global population approaches an anticipated 9.8 billion people by 2050.
Finally, humanity is at greater risk from the seas themselves, including the impact of natural disasters on built-up coastal areas and the effects of climate change. Littoral regions, where roughly 40% of the world’s population lives, are especially vulnerable to tsunamis and rising sea levels [4].

Conclusion
The international status of the oceans allows the US use their sea power regardless of the presence or the absence of an international coalition and permits of foreign States to use Washington’s territory and air space. It is the presence of powerful marine species of the sun allows the US conduct time-limited military operations almost anywhere in the world.
Changes in the US naval strategy are explained first of all by a number of objective factors of external and internal nature: changes in the international situation, in political course in the current presidential administration and the ruling political party, the emergence of new technologies, means and methods of warfare.

However, subjective internal factors also play significant role. These include rivalry between the Navy and other types of Armed Forces (VS) for political influence and distribution of the military budget, as well as cooperative relations and rivalry between the Navy and other types of US forces.

The Strategy of 2015 reveals the views of the American military leadership on the most significant challenges and threats to U.S. national security in the changed conditions of the geopolitical situation in the world, defines the basic requirements for the marine components of national armed forces, in terms of their preparedness for the task of promoting and defending American interests in ocean and marine areas

In accordance with the document, the following trends are characteristic of the military-political situation in the world: a) the growing role of the Asia-Pacific Region; b) competition for unhindered access to sources of raw materials and energy resources; c) aggravation of territorial disputes; d) the merger of terrorist groups with transnational crime and d) aggravation of territorial disputes.

In the foreseeable future, the United States will remain the leading maritime power. The development of the Chinese Navy is incapable substantially to weaken the American naval power in the world in general and the Asia-Pacific region in particular. Interest in the development of the Chinese fleet and China’s ambitions in the oceans draw the attention of US political leadership to the need to strengthen American naval power. The main the threat of American naval power is internal nature and is connected with a reduction in military spending.

One of the key tasks of the American leadership is to ensure the stability of long-term shipbuilding programs aimed at preserving and strengthening the «hard» sea power, which is an important condition for maintaining US status of global power. Without consistent support from legislative and executive branches the Navy will not be able to realize the thirty-year shipbuilding plan.
Taking into account the US navy plans, pragmatic naval strategy of the Russian Federation should be an integral element of the overall national policy Russia’s security and determine naval activity. The fundamental goal of Russia’s naval strategy in medium term should be the restoration of sea power of Russia through the transformation of naval capabilities, taking into account changed international conditions and limited resources.

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