seaward and beyond. Some of these elements are ships, aircraft, weapons, and trained personnel. Equally important are the shore establishment, well-situated bases, commercial shipping, and international alignments. The following elements determine a nation’s capacity to exercise sea power: The   character population The character of and  number  of  its its government The soundness of its economy Its industrial efficiency The  development  of  its  internal communications The quality and number of its harbors The extent of its coastline; and the location of its homeland, bases, and overseas territories with respect to sea communica- tions The ability to project sea power could be in jeopardy, and eventually lost, if any of these elements are weak or lacking. THE NAVY’S ROLE IN THE NATIONAL SECURITY POLICY The United States national security policy strives to preserve our freedom with our institutions and values intact. We are a global power with global interests and obligations. The Navy must be prepared to act at any time to ensure national security while limiting crises, controlling escalation, or stopping a conflict. We must be able to deal with a wide range of threats to our freedom. If the United States is to continue to exist as we know it today, it must have a policy that recognizes its worldwide commitments. Naval forces underline America’s commitments and interests everyday by their presence near friendly, neutral, and hostile shores. This presence asserts and reinforces principles of international law and freedom of the seas on a continuing basis. Naval forces can be sent to crisis areas at low cost by comparison with other military forces. Naval forces require no access or overflight rights and can stay on station indefinitely. Naval forces leave behind no physical reminders of their presence; however, their ability to come and go at will is a strong symbolic reminder of their presence. Since World War II, the U.S. Navy has been instrumental in handling international incidents that require the use of military force. NAVAL MARITIME STRATEGY The United States seeks to deter war; but when any country starts hostilities or conflict, the United States defends itself and its allies. National military strategy rests on three basic pillars:   DETERRENCE,   FORWARD DEFENSE, and ALLIANCE SOLIDARITY. When deterrence fails to prevent an enemy’s attack, the United States responds in one of four forms. It (1) meets force with force at the point of attack, (2) increases the intensity of the conflict, (3) alters the geographic width of the conflict, or (4) controls the duration of fighting. Maritime superiority enables us to deny the enemy any advantage through expansion. It also allows us to take the conflict to an area where the enemy does not want to fight. The flexibility of sea power permits us to outflank a foe, causing an enemy to spread its forces around its perimeter. This tactic requires the enemy to commit a great number of personnel and materials to defend its otherwise secure flank. The enemy must defend itself against our submarines, surface ships, aircraft, missiles, mines, and amphibious and special forces. With secure sea-lanes the Navy has the ability to outlast any aggressor. Any major conflict involves our allies, and we recognize the importance of their contributions. The Navy structures its forces, to the extent possible, to take advantage of the role allied naval forces play. Allied capabilities in mine warfare, air defense, submarine operations, and maritime patrol are important elements in maintaining maritime superiority. Maritime superiority for the United States is a necessity. The Navy must be able in time of emergency to venture into harm’s way. It must be able to control air, surface, and subsurface areas to assure access to all the oceans of the world. The Navy must ensure that access and meet its  operational  requirements  despite  the requirement for a smaller Navy. To do this, it maintains the combat readiness of its ships with the most modern technology and with the recruitment of dedicated and well-trained personnel. 1-2