The chance of a strategic nuclear attack on the United States is low. The results of such an attack would be catastrophic. The TRIAD has been developed and maintained to deter nuclear attack. Similarly, the Soviet Union has developed and is maintaining powerful strategic forces of its own. Our objective is to obtain the following conditions of essential equivalence: 1. Prevent Soviet strategic nuclear forces from becoming effective instruments of political leverage or coercion. 2. Maintain nuclear stability. 3. Offset advantages in force characteristics possessed  by  the  Soviets  by  U.S. advantages in other characteristics. 4. Ensure U.S. strategic forces are not, nor are they perceived to be, inferior in performance to those of the Soviet Union. The credibility of our TRIAD as perceived by potential opponents and allies is very important. If they perceive that our TRIAD does not exist or is weak, regardless of the facts, it will no longer serve to deter an attack. This condition of essential equivalence should produce a mutual deterrence that is so stable it will not be upset in a crisis. The United States seeks to maintain this stability through a combination of specific, equitable, and verifiable arms control agreements. GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS OF CONCERN IN U.S. FLEET ORGANIZATION Four American fleets (Second, Third, Sixth, and Seventh) stand worldwide watch. Each serves the Navy's basic mission of protecting national security. The Second Fleet, commanded by Commander in Chief, Atlantic Fleet (CINC- LANTFLT), operates from the world’s largest naval base at Norfolk, Virginia. It patrols the western Atlantic across some of the world’s most important trade routes. Ships and personnel of the Second Fleet rotate with those of the Sixth Fleet. The Commander in Chief, U.S. Naval Forces  Europe  (CINCUSNAVEUR),  commands the Sixth Fleet, which moves in the nearly landlocked Mediterranean Sea. We could describe the Sixth Fleet as “keeper of the doors.” The Mediterranean has been an influential factor in world affairs since the dawn of history. Gibraltar, the front door of the Mediterranean, is a vital commercial choke point. Whether it is open or closed, it affects the destiny of nations. The Mediterranean also has a side door—the Bosporus and Dardanelles—through which Soviet ships enter. The Arab-Israeli wars in June 1967 and November 1973 produced a marked increase in the size of the Soviet Mediterranean force. From a previous high of 23 ships, Soviet naval strength rose from 35 to 40 vessels. This period was the first time in recent years the Soviets had so deliberately used their fleet to support their foreign policy. Since the war in the Middle East, a stepped-up program of Mediterranean port visits by Soviet ships seems clearly aimed at increasing Soviet influence in that area. The level of Soviet naval activity provides additional reasons for the continued presence of a strong Sixth Fleet. The Sixth Fleet is built around two attack carriers and an amphibious striking force with an embarked Marine Corps battalion landing team. Since the Soviet Union maintains a submarine force in the Mediterranean, the United States has increased the frequency of deployment of its antisubmarine groups to the Mediterranean from the Atlantic. Across the world from the Mediterranean, the Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet (CINCPAC- FLT), commands the Third and Seventh Fleets. The Third Fleet, operating off the west coast of the United States, trains the personnel and shakes down the ships that rotate to the Seventh Fleet. The Seventh Fleet operates in the western Pacific and Indian Ocean regions. In recent years Soviet naval forces in the Pacific have grown in size and capability. With the fall of South Vietnam, the Soviets established a large naval base at Cam Ranh Bay. This base provides them with the capability to react rapidly to world events in the western Pacific. STRIKING FORCES OF THE U.S. NAVY A strike is an attack intended to inflict damage to, seize, or destroy an objective. A striking force is a force composed of appropriate units necessary to conduct strike, attack, or assault operations. The mobility and versatile power of naval striking forces make them ideal instruments for enforcing national military policy. In peacetime, unsettled world conditions require the Navy’s readiness to instantly apply force. The existence of a naval striking force may serve as a stabilizing influence to inhibit the outbreak of hostilities. 1-4