On Naval Power
Abstract
All too often, the terms naval power and sea power are used interchangeably. But naval power, properly understood, refers to a direct and indirect source of military power at sea. Obviously, the main components of a naval power are the navy, coast guard, and marines/naval infantry and their shore establishment. The term sea power (coined in 1849) originally referred to a nation having a formidable naval strength. Today, this term's meaning is much broader; it now describes the entirety of the use of the sea by a nation. Specifically, a sea (or maritime) power comprises political, diplomatic, economic, and military aspects of sea use. Naval power played an extremely important and often vital role in the lives of many maritime nations. This scenario is not going to change in the future despite claims to the contrary by some influential thinkers. The threat of major conflict at sea might look distant or even unlikely today. Yet it would be unwise to exclude the possibility altogether. Very often, the fact that naval power might play an important part in conventional deterrence- or, in the case of blue water navies such as the U.S. Navy, in nuclear deterrence-is either overlooked or ignored. Navies, and coast guards in particular, perform important and diverse tasks in peacetime and in operations short of war.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA517358
Entities
People
- Milan N. Vego
Organizations
- National Defense University