Lessons Lost: The Protection of American Merchant Shipping in Future Conflicts

Abstract

As the pre-eminent global maritime power since the fall of the Soviet Union, the U.S. Navy has acted with impunity on the seas for a generation. Having not faced a significant adversary at sea for this period of time, the Navy has developed an air of complacency regarding protection of maritime trade in times of war. In the event of a protracted conflict with a near-peer foe, the U. S. Navy will be unable to maintain control of the seas sufficiently to allow delivery of prepositioned warfighting materiel to deployed forces. This paper investigates the military capabilities of three possible future adversaries. It analyzes the threats these potential enemies pose to our strategic sealift assets as they deliver warfighter materiel to areas of conflict. Lastly, it offers solutions and recommendations that the military should consider in order to overcome its present weaknesses in this area.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 27, 2010
Accession Number
ADA535137

Entities

People

  • Craig D. Upton

Organizations

  • Naval War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Boats
  • Command And Control
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Deployment
  • Logistics
  • Marine Transportation
  • Military Capabilities
  • Military Equipment
  • Military Operations
  • Naval Operations
  • Naval Vessels (Combatant)
  • Naval Warfare
  • Navies (Foreign)
  • Navy
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare
  • Warning Systems

Readers

  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.