Fight Them Forward (Strategic Insights, Volume 4, Issue 7, July 2005)

Abstract

The "Global War on Terror" (GWOT) and the threat terrorists pose to the homeland present significant challenges to our established military principles and strategies. This is especially true in the sea services, whose very offensive nature in obtaining command of the sea defines traditional forward operating doctrine. In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, critics argued that this doctrine has been made obsolete by an asymmetric enemy, and that protection of the homeland against maritime attack requires a complete revision of Navy strategy to focus on the defense. Speculative scenarios such as using ships as weapons, smuggling of enemy terrorists, or attempted employment of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) are often cited as rationale for keeping the fleet close to home waters. A realistic appraisal of these scenarios, a review of historical lessons learned, and analysis of coastal defense operations and doctrine illustrate that the Navy's continued plan for forward operations is sound, and ultimately the most effective means of employing sea power in GWOT.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 01, 2005
Accession Number
ADA483981

Entities

People

  • Robert B. Watts

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Ground and Sea Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Coast Guard
  • Cold War
  • Department Of Homeland Security
  • Doctrine
  • Homeland Defense
  • Homeland Security
  • Maritime Domain Awareness
  • Military Operations
  • Natural Gas
  • Naval Warfare
  • Navy
  • Nuclear Weapons
  • Security
  • United States
  • Warfare
  • Weapons
  • Weapons Of Mass Destruction

Readers

  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.
  • Strategic Security Studies