The military-market link

Or why navies still matter

The US Navy has played maritime Leviathan for decades upon end. The Soviet navy never really reached truly global blue-water presence (the Russian effort has faded a bit more), and, for now, the Chinese PLAN (People’s Liberation Army Navy) remains a West Pac/Indian Ocean-centric force but one clearly moving in that direction.

Here’s an excellent piece from a friend and colleague Robert Farley out of the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce at U Kentucky (we’re almost neighbors!). In it, he lists his reqs for a blue-water navy:

Undersea: A blue water navy needs protection from enemy submarines. The most convenient means of such protection is through submarines of its own, either long-range diesel-electric boats or nuclear fleet subs …

Logistics: … Forming the logistical base necessary for a blue water navy requires technical and diplomatic elements. On the technical side, navies require sufficient replenishment ships, aircraft, and on-ship maintenance facilities to keep warships in operation, in addition to replenishment-at-sea capabilities. On the diplomatic side, every long-distance navy requires good relationships with local ports, even if these relationships don’t extend to the definition of an overseas naval base.

Air: Since the 1920s, navies have understood the necessity of cooperation between surface and air assets. Modern blue water navies require some capability for positive power projection through the air … Consequently, blue water navies need, at the very least, light carriers to support their long-range task forces…

Strike: Navies need to do something when they get where they’re going. Why show up, unless you want to get noticed? Most often, this means they need options for conducting strikes against land targets. Navies can solve this problem with aircraft, but that tends to be more expensive that some of the other options. The most efficient choice for strike (and for making people pay attention) is currently land-attack cruise missiles …

Experience: The least tangible requirement for a blue water force is experience.