1998 Year of the Ocean The Oceans and National Security 



available to U.S. foreign policy makers. Military power may be projected symbolically as a 

 diplomatic goodwill gesture or to deter war. 



Mobility, endurance, lift, and response are the components of global projection of 

 military power over the oceans. Sealift and airlift can transport land forces and materiel across 

 the oceans to most trouble spots worldwide. Naval forces have the unique ability to remain at 

 their stations for months, ensuring continued presence on the oceans wherever trouble may arise. 



Deterrence 



Naval forces are among the most useful of diplomatic tools. Policy makers can send them 

 to over two-thirds of the world's surface at any time without having to obtain advance basing 

 rights or prior permission to conduct naval movements. Having a sound capability for deploying 

 military forces to almost any coastal (littoral) area makes it possible for the United States to 

 provide the tangible leadership that is necessary to facilitate the assembly of coalition forces, or 

 negotiate forward basing rights should the circumstances so require. 



While U.S. maritime forces may not be immediately visible offshore, they are a potent 

 deterrent to potential adversaries since such forces can arrive quickly and remain indefinitely. 

 Routine forward deployment provides the President of the United States with "on-call military 

 presence" almost anywhere in the world and furnishes the capability to project military power 

 and show credible resolve without provoking war. This presence also reminds potential 

 adversaries of U.S. military capability and resolve to enforce international law. In this regard, the 

 oceans and U.S. naval forces provide the United States with unparalleled peacemaking capability 

 and promote the rule of law. 



Sea Denial and Operations Other Than War 



As world attention turns from the old ideological East- West confrontation of the Cold 

 War to the economic disparity between developed free market societies and developing nations, 

 there has been a re-emergence of maritime interception operations in situations short of 

 hostilities. There has been no decrease in crises that require military operations other than war. 

 Transoceanic operating and logistic capability permit the United States to take a lead in such 

 operations, often as a member of a multinational coalition. 



Since 1989, several multilateral embargoes have been enforced by coalition naval forces. 

 These have been supported by the consensus of the international community, and conducted 

 under international law. Such embargoes are best understood as attempts to maintain world 

 order, peace, and human rights rather than as acts of war. Modem maritime interception 

 operations are typically mandated by resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, and 

 normally allow humanitarian shipments of food and medicine to the civilian population. Naval 

 "visit and search" operations are conducted with respect to international law and custom. 



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