2.  Using  geographic  choke  points  to  prevent enemy  access  to  open  oceans  or  specific areas 3. Clearing sea areas by using escorts to surround  ships  in  transit,  such  as  military or commercial convoys and amphibious or support   forces 4.  Using  mines  in  areas  such  as  harbor entrances  and  choke  points Carrier  forces  and  Marine  amphibious  forces can project military power to ensure control of the high seas and the continued safe use of land areas  essential  to  sea  control.  That  entails destruction  of  enemy  naval  forces  at  their  home bases  or  en  route  to  those  ocean  areas  the  United States  desires  to  protect.  Power  projection  also includes  destroying  the  supply  lines  of  the  enemy and preventing enemy forces from advancing within  range  to  use  their  weapons  against  U.S. forces. Power  Projection Power projection is the ability to project military power from the sea worldwide in a timely and  precise  manner  to  accomplish  a  given objective.   Naval   power   projection,   as   an independent mission, is a means of supporting land or air campaigns. An essential element of power projection is the Navy’s amphibious ships that carry U.S. ground forces to enemy shores. Power  projection  covers  a  broad  spectrum  of offensive naval operations. These operations include nuclear response by fleet ballistic missile submarines and use of carrier-based aircraft and amphibious assault forces. They also include naval bombardment  of  enemy  targets  ashore  in  support of air or land campaigns. Naval  forces  have  unrestricted  global  mobility based  on  the  traditional  and  time-honored concept of the free use of international seas. In many cases, naval forces can perform assigned missions  while  remaining  beyond  the  range  of  the local  enemy  threat.  The  mobility  of  naval  forces seriously  complicates  the  enemy’s  detection  and targeting  capability.  Mobility  also  permits  the concentration  of  naval  forces  and  the  element  of surprise. Another  major  advantage  of  a  naval  force  is that it can begin combat operations immediately upon  reaching  a  crisis  location.  Land  or  air forces often require the construction of staging areas  before  they  can  begin  combat  operations. That is especially true when the conflict takes place  in  a  remote  location  and  when  facilities needed  for  combat  are  unavailable.  The  United States is diminishing its military base structure overseas. Therefore, the ability of naval forces to  arrive  in  an  area  fully  prepared  to  conduct sustained combat operations has taken on added importance. THEATERS  OF  OPERATIONS The  Soviet  Union  confines  its  power  projection (fig. 1-1 ) to areas close to the Soviet Union with one  exception.  Soviet  fleet  ballistic  missile  sub- marines (nuclear propulsion) (SSBNs) patrol the sea area off the east coast of the United States. The  traditional  U.S.  Navy  theaters  of  opera- tions  include  Europe,  the  Middle  East,  Africa,  the Far East, and the Americas. The continuing economic  and  political  changes  in  those  areas  now and in the future will have an impact on the Navy’s mission and goals. Europe With  the  fall  of  the  Berlin  Wall  and  the reunification  of  Germany,  Europe  has  changed. Many of the old boundary lines that separated east and west have been removed, which has made travel  between  countries  easier.  Since  the  outcome of the changes in Europe is difficult to predict, let’s look at some trends that have taken place over  the  last  few  years. As the Warsaw Pact navies have been growing smaller, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)  naval  forces  have  been  maintaining  their size. NATO naval forces have also significantly upgraded  their  antisubmarine  warfare,  antisurface warfare, and air defense capability. The German navy replaced its F-104s with the Tornado and upgraded  NATO’s  defense  capability  of  the  Baltic approaches. U.S. Navy and Marine upgrades include  the  F/A-18,  F-14D,  and  AV-8B.  The United  States  upgrade  provides  Supreme  Allied Commander,  Atlantic  (SACLANT),  with  more offensive   and   defensive   capability   in   the Norwegian  and  Mediterranean  Seas. 1-3