III. The Relationship of the Sea to National Security 



The role occupied by the oceans in the destiny of any nation can 

 never be completely isolated from other factors which comprise 

 the geopolitical complex. Causal relationships between events can 

 seldom be identified, either publicly or even within the secret archives 

 of Government. Nevertheless, throughout the interval of recorded 

 history, the vertical cultural evolution and the horizontal geographic 

 dispersion of man have been inextricably linked with the sea. 



It is beyond the scope of this current report to do more than recite 

 some of the basic political, economic, and military entities which relate 

 the sea to the affairs of nations, and in particular, the United States. 

 With such background, a frame of reference can be established con- 

 cerning present and proposed programs in oceanic research. 



A. historical perspective 



The sea reveals a dual, sometimes anomalous, character. On the 

 one hand, it is a protective geographic barrier insulating and compart- 

 menting human endeavor. On the other hand, it is an inviting me- 

 dium of commerce and of communication. As a baiTier, the sea has 

 acted both as a military shield against aggression and for those conti- 

 nentally oriented nations, it has limited both expansion and trade. 

 But, for those more imaginative and bold, the sea has fostered the 

 march of empire. The movement of bulk goods on strategically lo- 

 cated rivers or along coastal routes has long been favored over cum- 

 l)ersome and arduous movement through mountains or arid land. 

 The use of the oceans for connnercial intercourse, the subtle export 

 of cultural influence and eventually deliberate settlement overseas to 

 relieve domestic pressures are all logical extensions of the precursive 

 use of short water routes. 



Today, even with colonial empires evaporating, the oceans continue 

 to serve international trade. Virtually no teclmologically advanced 

 luition is so self-sustained as to lack the need for imports of either 

 raw materials or special manufactured goods. No advanced nation 

 is so economically independent as not to rely for a part of its income 

 either on exports or, as in the case of Great Britain, tiie Netherlands, 

 Greece and Norwa}", on profits from carrying goods of otlier nations 

 in their merchant fleets. Even with the proliferation of railroads and 

 highways, and the contemporary development of mass air transport, 

 water is still far the least costly and most used medium for moving 

 bulk cargo. ^ 



The oceans have revealed a second economic influence— in the de- 

 velopment of fisheries. Once a purely local occupation, this industry 

 now entails large numbers of ships ranging far from their home ports. 

 Equipped with modern engineering devices to navigate or even locate 

 fish, success depends now more on scientific knowledge of fish ecology 



' "A rule of thumb states that the cost of sea, land and air transport, as far as mass poods are concerned, 

 stands in the relationship of 1/10/100." See: "Transportation: Basis of Power," A. E. Sokol, Marine Corps 

 Gazette, October 1959, pp. 10-16. 



