1998 Year of the Ocean The Oceans and National Security 



new ships per year during the 1980s. To maintain the "shipyard mobihzation base," necessary to 

 build, repair and activate Navy and merchant ships, more commercial ship construction is 

 needed. In 1996, the United States constructed only 1.8 percent of the world's gross tonnage; 

 Japan and Korea accounted for almost 60 percent. 



Present programs recognize that the decline in the number of oceangoing ships operated, 

 repaired, or built in the United States impacts the industrial base of shipyards and their labor 

 force. There are over 280 privately owned firms of varying capabilities, employing over 98,000 

 workers, involved in shipbuilding and ship repair in the United States. However, only 43 yards 

 are capable of dry-docking vessels of 122 meters in length or over," and only 6 shipyards are 

 building Navy combatant ships. This impacts the Navy with respect to the number of U.S. 

 facilities and qualified shipyard workers available to activate, build, and repair active and naval 

 auxiliary vessels in times of national emergency. The United States has to assure a viable 

 military industrial base to meet it's military sealift needs. While this requirement receives less 

 attention than other military budget items, it is of great importance to National Security and will 

 be subject to continuous review and debate. 



SOUND MANAGEMENT OF THE OCEAN'S ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCES: 



ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY 



Environmental Security Challenges and Response 



The Law of the Sea (LOS) Convention is a fundamental framework for the array of 

 international agreements'* that protect ocean access, maintain the environmental quality of the 

 oceans, and guard against imprudent exploitation of marine resources. In the past, the rigor of the 

 ocean environment alone was sufficient to safeguard ocean resources from over-exploitation. 

 Scientific progress brought technology, which in turn put living oceanic resources within reach 

 for commercial harvest and seabed extraction. Nations began to face overfishing, as whalers and 

 giant drift nets depleted stocks and even threatened species with extinction. There was also 

 uncertainty over ownership and sovereignty of hydrocarbons and minerals and threats posed to 

 the marine environment from oil spills associated with oil exploration and transportation. 

 Because all nations enjoy the benefits of proper management of the world's natural resources, 

 responsible international management of ocean resources is in the interest of all nations. 



Recognizing that national and global security are enhanced by protection of ocean 

 resources, the Navy, Coast Guard and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) have mounted 



'7 U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration Report on Survey of U.S. Shipbuilding and Repair Facililies 

 pgs. 40, 54(1996) 



'8 Includes the 1989 Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal 

 (Basel Convention); The 1972 Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter 

 (London Convention 1972), as recently amended; The Safety of Life at Sea Convention 1974, as amended (SOLAS 

 Convention); The 1973 Convention and 1978 Protocol for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL); and the 1972 

 Convention on Prevention of Collisions at Sea (COLREGS). 



B-15 



