1998 Year of the Ocean The Oceans and National Security 



A continuing challenge will be finding ways to reduce the costs of training America's 

 seagoing professionals and give other interested citizens access to some of the training facilities 

 and opportunities that are available to those in the federal government. The Navy has been 

 building partnerships with private industry, other government agencies, and academia to further 

 the public understanding of oceanography. Some clear examples of success are Project JASON, 

 hosted by the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command and the University of Southern 

 Mississippi's Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, which brings live interactive broadcasts from 

 JASON expeditions to students and teachers in many states. The challenge will be finding more 

 of these opportunities to connect the marine professionals in government with motivated 

 members of the public. 



CONCLUSION 



The United States is a maritime nation which owes much of its security and prosperity to 

 its ability to use the seas successfully to enhance commerce and national security. Key to this 

 success has been the preservation of strong maritime forces and sealift. U.S. maritime forces 

 must be able to fight smarter and win, with smart maneuver, smarter weapons, and a reliable 

 stream of remote sensor and tactical environmental data. 



Preservation of the comprehensive legal regime set forth in the Law of the Sea 

 Convention is essential to assure freedom of navigation and overflight on the high seas and 

 through straits and other choke points for military and commercial vessels. For over 200 years, 

 the United States has recognized the importance of keeping open the sea lines of communication 

 at sea for commercial and military purposes. National and global security demand that this task 

 continue as a matter of national priority. 



B-23 



