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