Page 10 - NAVAL SCIENCE 3 TEXTBOOK

SEA POW ER AN D NATI ONA L SECURI TY 15

The fourth area is the vast Afro-Asian ocean, which includes required to produce steel. \'Ve import around 85 percent of the
the broad reaches of the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans, as well bauxite from which aluminum is refined. \'Ve import more than
as the Middle-Eastern oil tr<1nsportation routes through the Red 99 percent of our nation's tin. and over 90 percent of the chromite
Sea, Suez Canal, and Persian Gulf used to toughen steel. Ninety percent of the columbite used to
In these strategic ocean <1reas there are a number of geographic construct nuclear reactors, make stainless steel, and manufacture
chokepoints (bottlenecks) through which the world's maritime rockets and missiles is also imported. Since the late 1960s we have
traffic must pass in order to conduct international trade and imported a large portion (some 70 percent in recent years) of our
deploy naval forces. Man}' of these chokepoints were identified petroleum. Moreover, foreign markets for our farm products and
in the tvlaritime Geography unit of Naval Science 2. l\·luch of our manuf..1ctured goods have become increasingly important to the
worldwide maritime strategy is concerned with how best to pro- U.S. ecollomy in recent years.
tect their continued use by the United States and otlr allies, while Most nations understand the doctrine of freedom of the seas
denying their use to any prospective enemy. under international law l though some have varying interpreta-
tions. In wartime, however. a belligerent nation will do aU in its
power to disrupt the passage of commercial shipping to its oppo-
The Mobility of Sea Power nents. Throughout history, whenever powerful nations have lost
In contrast to land forces, whose mobility and resupply capability control of the seas, they have f..1I1en. There is no reason to believe
is limited by the geographical features and political constraints of that things will be different in the future.
the terrain in which they operate, seaborne naval forces have sev- For these reasons the United States needs a strong merchant
eral advantages. The open sea is a vast, level highway over which marine. The flow of ocean-borne cOlllmerce must not be stopped
no nation can claim sovereignty. Thus naval forces can move b)' any enemy if we are to maintain our national security, as well as
much more quickly thaIl land forces wherever the}' wish. and dis- the health and stability of our domestic economy. Keeping the sea
perse whenever and however necessary. They can establish a line of lanes open is a vital mission of the U.s. Nav)', for these lanes are the
defense far from their national shores, making it easier to prevent lifelines of America.
attack by enemy forces. And they can easily replenish fuel, stores,
and ammunition at sea whenever required.
Oceanography
The presence of mobile sea forces near land areas where con-
flict threatens to break out can often act as il deterrent. Combat- The oceans contain a wealth of animal and plant life. Every known
ready seaborne forces Ciln be quickly sent to any potential problem mineral can be found on the sea bottom or suspended in seawater.
area. Their timely arrival in an area of tension may be sufficient to The sea is the last great storehouse of food and minerals on Earth.
calm things down and prevent a conflict from escalating to war. Oceanography, covered in Nal'al Science 2. is the science that will
find ways to properly tap the resources of the sea for the benefit
of the world. \·Ve must learn to use these resources fully, without
Merchant Marine depleting sea life or polluting the sea environment.

A strong merchant marine (commercial shipping) is a vital ele- Many littoral nations (those with ready access to the seas) are
ment of sea power. This belief was part of A1fred Thayer Mahan's engaged in oceanographic research. The United States is becolll-
doctrine of sea power. The merchant fleet must be kept competi- ing more aware of the need for oceanographic research, and conse-
tive if it is to meet the growing needs of industry and provide logis- quently has completed many major projects in recent years.
tic support to our forces overseas. \Ve know that we must increasingly turn to the sea for
There was a time in American life whell it seemed that we had resources that we previously obtained on land: food, fresh water,
an unlimited supply of raw materials. \Ve were nearly self-sufficient minerals, and energy. Vast new resources have already been discov-
in most commodities and did not need to purchase or sell materi- ered in the continental shelf (a narrow belt around the continents).
als abroad. However, our increasing population, growing rate of International agreements have given littoral nations exclusive
consumption of resources and energy, and technological needs rights to develop all the natural resources in the continental shelf
ha\'e changed those circumstances. In fact, for some time now we adjacent to their own shores.
have been dependent on many other nations for much of what we Minerals of all kinds can be extracted from seawater. but as
need to maintain a strong econolllY. keep our people at work. and yet this is cost effective for only a few chemicals and elements.
nwnufacture our products. Processing seawater to obtain fresh water for drinking and irriga-
In order to maintain our econol11Y. there are about eighty tion is being done in a few places arollnd the world where natural
strategic resources that the United States cannot do without. \·Ve fresh water is in short supply. Harnessing the tides for a boundless
rei)' on imports to satisfy our needs for many of these resources. supply of energy is presently done only in a few locations, mainly
ror instance, we must import some 85 percent of the manganese