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| Image: Flickr User - Greg Bishop |
By Franz-Stefan Gady
In a new document, the Chief of Naval Operations outlines challenges the U.S. Navy will be facing in the 21st century.
China and Russia, along with a number of other competitors, are “focused on taking the lead” in the maritime domain and will continue to challenge U.S. naval superiority, the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral John Richardson, writes in a recently released U.S. Navy strategy document.
The U.S. Navy “must pick up the pace and deny” foreign competitors their objectives, even though the admiral cautions that the “margins of victory are razor thin – but decisive.” The January 2016 document entitled “A Design for Maintaining Maritime Superiority” lays out a design based on four lines of effort—“warfighting, learning faster, strengthening our Navy team, and building partnerships”—to be more a more effective force in the 21st century.
More interestingly, however, is the characterization of the strategic environment the U.S. Navy finds itself in, according to the highest ranking naval officer of the United States. While Richardson notes the influence of the global information system, the increasing rate of technological creation and adoption, and increased ocean traffic on U.S. Navy operations, the document becomes more concrete when discussing the threats posed by nation states–particularly China and Russia.
Read the full story at The Diplomat