Two ideas motivated this anthology of articles published in our
quarterly, the Naval War College Review. First, the U.S. Navy is
today at a critical point in its history. At a time when the nation
is at war-with campaigns in two countries and engagements across
the globe as part of the war on terror-the roles and missions
traditionally assigned to the Navy have been called into question.
Budget pressures have forced the service to reevaluate shipbuilding
plans for several ships, including the DD(X) family. Second, it has
been nearly ten years since selections from the Review have been
compiled in a single, easily accessible volume; in that time there
have appeared a number of articles that particularly deserve a
second or third look by those who study and practice national
security and naval affairs. The articles in this volume speak
directly to the Navy's evolving role in the national and military
strategies. The collection should serve as a handy reference for
scholars, analysts, practitioners, and general readers interested
in naval issues, and also that it will be useful for adoption as a
reading by national security courses both in the United States and
abroad. While the articles here certainly do not exhaust the range
of views and important issues involving naval operations, strategy,
or tactics, they do form a foundation for those interested in
learning more. Moreover, they have enduring value; the perspectives
and analyses they offer will not go out of fashion. The articles
are reprinted exactly as they originally appeared, except that:
proofreading errors noticed since original publication have been
silently corrected; biographical notes have been updated;
copyrighted art has been omitted; citation format (which evolved
over the years) has been standardized in certain respects; and one
author has appended a brief commentary. The volume is divided into
three sections. The first introduces the changing security
environment facing the United States and, by extension, the U.S.
Navy. The articles examine both the external position of the nation
and the emerging internal political and institutional contexts that
constrain military and naval policies and decision making. The
second part looks specifically at the roles and missions of the
Navy at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Its articles
cover both long-standing issues, such as forward presence, and the
new missions the Navy has assumed in recent years-from projecting
power far inland to providing theater and national missile defense,
especially against opponents armed with nuclear, biological, or
chemical weapons. The last part of the volume concentrates on
military and naval transformation. The articles in this section
provide some perspective on, perhaps even ballast for, the claims
of proponents of the revolution in military affairs. Finally, I
supply a conclusion reviewing the main themes of the articles and
the avenues to which they point. The Naval War College Review
remains one of the premier journals dedicated to publishing
articles and essays with a naval and maritime focus. The chapters
in the volume provide many of the intellectual building blocks for
a maritime strategy designed to maintain American primacy and, if
mandated by political leaderships, support a liberal empire that
helps protect and spread the ideals of democracy and markets. The
Navy's role will be arduous, and the need for continuous
adjustments to the prevailing international security environment
great. By reading or rereading the chapters that follow,
specialists and nonspecialists alike can gain greater insights into
the challenges ahead.
General
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