3.0ACooperativeStrategyfor21stCenturySeapower-2015.pdf

M A R C H 2 0 1 5

F O R W A R D ❚ E N G A G E D ❚ R E A D Y

A Cooperative Strategy for
21st Century Seapower

DRAFT/PRE-DECISIONAL – NOT FOR DISSEMINATION – 02 FEB

A COOPERATIVE STRATEGY FOR 21ST CENTURY SEAPOWER, MARCH 2015 [i]

America’s Sea Services—the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard—uniquely provide presence around the globe. During peacetime and times of conflict, across the full spectrum—from
supporting an ally with humanitarian assistance or disaster relief to

deterring or defeating an adversary in kinetic action—Sailors, Marines,

and Coast Guardsmen are deployed at sea and in far-flung posts to be

wherever we are needed, when we are needed. Coming from the sea, we

get there sooner, stay there longer, bring everything we need with us,

and we don’t have to ask anyone’s permission.

Our founders recognized the United States as a maritime nation and

the importance of maritime forces, including in our Constitution the re-

quirement that Congress “maintain a Navy.” In today’s dynamic security

environment, with multiple challenges from state and non-state actors

that are often fed by social dis , political upheaval, and technological

advancements, that requirement is even more prescient.

The United States Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard are our

Nation’s first line of defense, often far from our shores. As such, main-

taining America’s leadership role in the world requires our Nation’s Sea

Services to return to our maritime strategy on occasion and reassess

our approach to shifting relationships and global responsibilities. This

necessary review has affirmed our focus on providing presence around

the world in to ensure stability, build on our relationships with allies

and partners, prevent wars, and provide our Nation’s leaders with options

in times of crisis. It has confirmed our continued commitment to main-

tain the combat power necessary to deter potential adversaries and to

fight and win when required.

Our responsibility to the American people dictates an efficient use of

our fiscal resources and an approach that adapts to the evolving security

environment. The adjustments made in this document do just that. Look-

ing at how we support our people, build the right platforms, power them

to achieve efficient global capability, and develop critical partnerships

will be central to its successful execution and to providing that unique

capability: presence.

PREFACE

[ii] Forward ✦ Engaged ✦ Ready

Seapower has been and will continue to be the critical foundation of

national power and prosperity and international prestige for the United

States of America. Our Sea Services will integrate with the rest of our

national efforts, and those of our friends and allies. This revision to A

Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower builds on the heritage

and complementary capabilities of the Navy-Marine Corps-Coast Guard

team to advance the prosperity and guarantee the security of our Nation.

The demands of a changing world and the defense of the American

people and our interests require nothing less.

RAY MABUS

Secretary of the Navy

A COOPERATIVE STRATEGY FOR 21ST CENTURY SEAPOWER, MARCH 2015 [iii]

This maritime strategy describes how we will design, organize, and employ the Sea Services in support of our national, defense, and homeland security strategies. It also sets maritime priorities
in an era of constrained resources, while emphasizing warfighting capa-

bilities and forward naval presence to advance national interests today

and guide preparations for tomorrow’s challenges.

Forward naval presence is essential to strengthening alliances and

partnerships, providing the secure environment necessary for an open

economic system based on the free flow of goods, protecting U.S. natural

resources, promoting stability, deterring conflict, and responding to ag-

gression. As global maritime commerce expands, populations increase,

competition for energy and natural resources grows, and advanced mil-

itary technologies proliferate across the oceans and through the littoral,

so too will challenges arise for anyone operating in those regions.

The American people will continue to rely on the Sea Services to

respond to fast-changing and complex world events that threaten the

security of the United States and our allies and partners. Our Sailors,

Marines, and Coast Guardsmen stand ready to meet these challenges

with the same determination and responsiveness they have demon-

strated for more than two centuries.

FOREWORD

JOSEPH F. DUNFORD, JR.

General, U.S. Marine Corps
Commandant of the Marine Corps

JONATHAN W. GREENERT

Admiral, U.S. Navy
Chief of Naval Operations

PAUL F. ZUKUNFT

Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard
Commandant of the Coast Guard

Our foremost priority remains the
security of the American people,
our territory, and our way of life.

A COOPERATIVE STRATEGY FOR 21ST CENTURY SEAPOWER, MARCH 2015 [v]

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Section I THE GLOBAL SECURITY ENVIRONMENT 3

Geopolitical Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Military Challenges. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Section II FORWARD PRESENCE AND PARTNERSHIP 9

Indo-Asia-Pacific . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Middle East . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Europe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Western Hemisphere . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Arctic and Antarctic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Section III SEAPOWER IN SUPPORT OF NATIONAL SECURITY 19

All Domain Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Deterrence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Sea Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Power Projection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Maritime Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Section IV FORCE DESIGN: BUILDING THE FUTURE FORCE 27

Flexible, Agile, and Ready Forces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

People. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Capabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

CONTENTS

Oceans are the lifeblood of the interconnected global
community, where seaborne trade is expected to double

over the next 15 years. Our forward naval forces support
the free flow of commerce that has enabled unparalleled

global economic growth over the last 70 years. Ninety
percent of trade by volume travels across the oceans.

Approximately 70 percent of the world’s population lives
within 100 miles of the coastline—an area known as the

littoral. Likewise, most maritime activity—commercial
shipping, fishing, and oil and gas extraction—takes

place within 200 miles of the shore. Above, a Japanese
container ship arrives at the Port of Los Angeles.

[Photo courtesy of the Port of Los Angeles]

A COOPERATIVE STRATEGY FOR 21ST CENTURY SEAPOWER, MARCH 2015 [1]

INTRODUCTION

The United States of America is a maritime nation. For more than two centuries, the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard—the Sea Services—have operated throughout the world to protect Ameri-
can citizens and defend U.S. interests by responding to crises and, when
necessary, fighting and winning wars. Since we published A Cooperative
Strategy for 21st Century Seapower in 2007, changes in the security and
fiscal environments, along with new strategic guidance, including the
2012 Defense Strategic Guidance and the 2014 Quadrennial Defense and
Homeland Security Reviews, mandate an updated maritime strategy to
ensure that we continue to advance our national interests in an increas-
ingly complex and interdependent world.

Forward-deployed and forward-stationed naval forces use the global
maritime commons as a medium of maneuver, assuring access to over-
seas regions, defending key interests in those areas, protecting our citi-
zens abroad, and preventing our adversaries from leveraging the world’s
oceans against us. The ability to sustain operations in international waters
far from our shores constitutes a distinct advantage for the United
States—a Western Hemisphere nation separated from many of its strategic
interests by vast oceans. Maintaining this advantage in an interconnected
global community that depends on the oceans remains an imperative for
our Sea Services and the Nation.

Today’s global security environment is characterized by the rising
importance of the Indo-Asia-Pacific region, the ongoing development
and fielding of anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) capabilities that chal-
lenge our global maritime access, continued threats from expanding and
evolving terrorist and criminal networks, the increasing frequency and
intensity of maritime territorial disputes, and threats to maritime com-
merce, particularly the flow of energy.

In addition to the risks emerging in this turbulent 21st Century, there
are opportunities as well—many facilitated by the Sea Services through
routine and constructive engagement with allies and partners. Chief
among them is the potential for a global network of navies that brings
together the contributions of like-minded nations and organizations
around the world to address mutual maritime security challenges and
respond to natural disasters.

[2] Forward ✦ Engaged ✦ Ready

This maritime strategy reaffirms two foundational principles. First,
U.S. forward naval presence is essential to accomplishing the following
naval missions derived from national guidance: defend the homeland,
deter conflict, respond to crises, defeat aggression, protect the maritime
commons, strengthen partnerships, and provide humanitarian assistance
and disaster response. Our self-sustaining naval forces, operating in the
global commons, ensure the protection of the homeland far from our
shores, while providing the President with decision space and options to
deny an adversary’s objectives, preserve freedom of action, and assure
access for follow-on forces.

Second, naval forces are stronger when we operate jointly and to-
gether with allies and partners. Merging our individual capabilities and
capacity produces a combined naval effect that is greater than the sum
of its parts. By working together in formal and informal networks, we can
address the threats to our mutual maritime security interests. Maximizing
the robust capacity of this global network of navies concept, we are all
better postured to face new and emerging challenges.

The Sea Services have historically organized,
trained, and equipped to perform four essential
functions: deterrence, sea control, power projec-
tion, and maritime security. Because access to
the global commons is critical, this strategy in-
troduces a fifth function: all domain access. This
function assures appropriate freedom of action in
any domain—the sea, air, land, space, and cyber-
space, as well as in the electromagnetic (EM)
spectrum.

This strategy informs naval force employ-
ment and describes a force that balances war-
fighting readiness with our Nation’s current and
future fiscal challenges. Our force employment
approach aligns capability, capacity, and plat-
forms to regional mission demands, ensuring
that our most modern and technologically ad-

vanced forces are located where their combat power is needed most. It
also describes how naval forces will enhance their effectiveness, employ
new warfighting concepts, and promote innovation. By doing so, the Sea
Services chart a course that ensures we will carry forward our Nation’s
interests and continue to serve as a cornerstone of U.S. national security.

Forward naval

forces ensure the

protection of the

homeland far

from our shores.

A COOPERATIVE STRATEGY FOR 21ST CENTURY SEAPOWER, MARCH 2015 [3]

Naval forces must advance U.S. interests in a global security environment characterized by volatility, instability, complexity, and interdependencies. This environment includes geopoliti-
cal changes and growing military challenges that profoundly influence
this strategy.

Geopolitical Changes
Spanning from the West Coast of the United States to the eastern coast
of Africa and containing eight of the world’s ten most populous countries,
the Indo-Asia-Pacific region continues to increase in significance for our
Nation as well as for our allies and partners. America’s economy and
security are inextricably linked to the immense volume of trade that flows
across the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The economic importance, security
interests, and geography of this vast maritime region dictate a growing
reliance on naval forces to protect U.S. interests and maintain an enduring
commitment to the stability of the region.

Based on shared strategic interests, the United States seeks to
strengthen cooperation with long-standing allies in the Indo-Asia-Pacific
region—Australia, Japan, New Zealand, the Philippines, the Republic of
Korea, and Thailand—and continues to cultivate partnerships with states
such as Bangladesh, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Micronesia, Paki-
stan, Singapore, and Vietnam.

China’s naval expansion into the Indian and Pacific Oceans presents
both opportunities and challenges. For example, China supports counter
piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden, conducts humanitarian assistance
and disaster response missions enabled by its hospital ship, and partic-
ipates in large-scale, multinational naval exercises. As a signatory of the
Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES), China demonstrates its
ability to embrace international norms, institutions, and standards of

THE GLOBAL SECURITY
ENVIRONMENT

Section I

[4] Forward ✦ Engaged ✦ Ready

behavior commensurate with rising power status. However, China’s naval
expansion also presents challenges when it employs force or intimidation
against other sovereign nations to assert territorial claims. This behavior,
along with a lack of transparency in its military intentions, contributes to
tension and instability, potentially leading to miscalculation or even esca-
lation. The U.S. Sea Services, through our continued forward presence and
constructive interaction with Chinese maritime forces, reduce the poten-
tial for misunderstanding, discourage aggression, and preserve our com-
mitment to peace and stability in the region.

Persistent instability and under-governed areas across the Middle
East and Africa allow violent extremist organizations and other terrorist
organizations to operate. These include the Islamic State of Iraq and the
Levant (ISIL), Hezbollah, Hamas, Al Shabab, and Boko Haram, as well as
Al Qaeda and its affiliates. Networks such as these destabilize sovereign

states and influence attacks like the early 2015
shootings in Paris, highlighting the indispensable
nature of forward and ready naval forces in the
global effort to combat terrorism.

Under-governed areas ashore create condi-
tions for regional instability ranging from piracy
and illicit waterborne trafficking to support for
terrorist activity. Through the concerted efforts of
U.S. naval forces and our global partners, piracy
is currently on the decline off the Horn of Africa,
yet it remains a concern around West Africa,
especially in the Gulf of Guinea and on the Indian
and Pacific Oceans. This regional instability
threatens global economic stability in a hyper-
connected world and underscores the need for
a global network of navies that leverages the best
capabilities of participating states.

Across North America and Europe, the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) remains the most powerful alliance in
the world and the centerpiece of transatlantic security. Our mutual efforts
to cooperate and integrate with member and partner countries on com-
mon maritime challenges such as counter piracy are a model for security
cooperation. From developing an ashore ballistic missile defense (BMD)
capability in Romania and Poland to operating in Standing NATO Maritime
Groups, U.S. naval forces actively participate in NATO missions every day.

Russian military modernization, the illegal seizure of Crimea, and
ongoing military aggression in Ukraine underscore the importance of
our commitments to European security and stability. NATO members
can ensure the continued viability of the alliance by maintaining their
commitment to the naval forces that provide security for the European
maritime theater.

We are stronger

when we operate

together, engaged

with allies and

partners.

A COOPERATIVE STRATEGY FOR 21ST CENTURY SEAPOWER, MARCH 2015 [5]

‘‘The reality of today is that we have to think about the global network of
navies. All it takes is a willingness to

cooperate—there’s no commitment,

you don’t have to join an alliance,

anyone can plug-and-play. There’s

a mission for everybody whether

it’s humanitarian assistance and

disaster response, counterterrorism,

counter transnational organized

crime, or counter piracy.

—ADMIRAL GREENERT

America’s security and
prosperity grow with that
of our allies and partners.

The Sea Services will
continue expanding the

global network of navies
to address our common

security interests. Shown
here, the destroyer USS
Chung-Hoon (DDG 93)

operates with the Republic
of Singapore frigate RSS
Steadfast (FFG 70), the
U.S. Coast Guard cutter
Mellon (WHEC 717) and

the Republic of Singapore
corvette RSS Vigilance

(90) during Cooperation
Afloat Readiness and

Training (CARAT)
Singapore. CARAT is a

series of bilateral exercises
in Southeast Asia held
annually to strengthen

relationships and enhance
force readiness.

‘‘

[6] Forward ✦ Engaged ✦ Ready

Skyrocketing demand for energy and resources, as evidenced by a
projected 56 percent increase of global energy consumption by 2040,
underscores the criticality of the free flow of commerce through strategic
maritime crossroads including the Straits of Hormuz and Malacca, as well
as the Panama and Suez Canals. Although the United States is exporting
more energy than it imports for the first time in decades, we remain tied to
the global economy that depends on the uninterrupted supply of oil and
gas from the Middle East and Central Asia. This uninterrupted supply can
be placed at risk due to rising political instability and regional conflict. In
particular, Iran continues to develop an increasing capability to threaten
commerce transiting the Strait of Hormuz. A disruption in energy supply
would immediately and significantly affect the global economy. Closer to
home, dramatic changes in energy production and transportation, as well

as the completion of the Panama Canal expansion
project, will fundamentally alter shipping patterns
within the United States and globally.

Transnational criminal organizations (TCO)
remain a threat to stability in Africa and the West-
ern Hemisphere, especially in Central America
and the southern approaches of the U.S. home-
land. Their networks facilitate human trafficking
and interrelated flows of weapons, narcotics, and
money, all of which could be exploited by terror-
ists to attack our homeland, allies, and overseas
interests.

Environmental trends are increasingly shap-
ing the maritime security environment, particu-
larly in the littorals where most of the world’s
population resides. Climate change–enhanced
storms, rising sea levels, and coastal flooding
are disproportionately affecting many island
nations. This may trigger social instability and
more frequent humanitarian assistance and dis-
aster response operations. Rising ocean tem-

peratures present new challenges and opportunities, most notably in
the Arctic and Antarctic, where receding ice leads to greater maritime
activity. In the coming decades, the Arctic Ocean will be increasingly
accessible and more broadly used by those seeking access to the re-
gion’s abundant resources and trade routes. The predicted rise in mari-
time activity, including oil and gas exploration, commercial fishing, tourism,
and mineral mining, is expected to increase the region’s strategic impor-
tance over time. Ensuring safe, secure, environmentally responsible
activity in the Arctic region will require a broad spectrum of partnerships.
Collaborative forums such as the Arctic Council, which the United States

Our Sailors,

Marines, and

Coast Guardsmen

stand ready to

meet the challenges

that face our

Nation.

A COOPERATIVE STRATEGY FOR 21ST CENTURY SEAPOWER, MARCH 2015 [7]

The President directed that we

be able to project power despite

threats to access. We must leverage

our respective Service strengths

because we can no longer afford to

go down separate investment paths.

—ADMIRAL GREENERT

‘‘

‘‘

The Arleigh Burke–class
guided-missile destroyer

USS Sterett (DDG 104),
shown here, participates
in the International Mine-

Countermeasures Exercise
(IMCMEX) with the mine-

countermeasures ships
USS Devastator (MCM 6)
and USS Dextrous (MCM

13) and the Royal Navy
mine-countermeasures

ship HMS Penzance (M 106).
USS Sterett deployed as

part of the Carl Vinson
Carrier Strike Group
supporting maritime

security operations, strike
operations in Iraq and

Syria, and theater security
cooperation efforts in

the U.S. Fifth Fleet area
of responsibility.

[8] Forward ✦ Engaged ✦ Ready

will chair from 2015 to 2017, and the Antarctic Treaty System present
opportunities for expanded cooperation.

Military Challenges
The Sea Services face a growing range of challenges in gaining access
and operating freely in the maritime commons. Most prominently, the pro-
liferation of technologies that allows potential adversaries to threaten
naval and air forces at greater ranges complicates our access to some
maritime regions (anti-access), as well as our ability to maneuver with-
in those regions (area denial), including the littoral and landward access.
These include long-range ballistic and cruise missiles supported by state-
of-the-art command and control (C2) and integrated targeting networks;
guided rockets, artillery, missiles, and mortars; advanced submarines and
“smart” mines; advanced integrated air defense systems; fifth-generation
fighter aircraft with enhanced sensors and weapons; and electronic war-
fare (EW), cyber, and space capabilities. Certainly a distinct challenge
during wartime, these military technologies are also a concern in peace-
time. For example, the free flow of goods and services can be impeded
by state or non-state actors employing clandestine mining of a port or
maritime crossroads.

New challenges in cyberspace and the electromagnetic (EM) spec-
trum mean we can no longer presume to hold the information “high
ground.” Opponents seek to deny, disrupt, disable, or cause physical dam-
age to our forces and infrastructure with advanced networked informa-
tion systems. The exploitation of space, cyberspace, and the EM spectrum
threatens our global C2. Naval forces must have the resilience to operate
under the most hostile cyber and EM conditions.

Weapons of mass destruction (WMD) threaten the United States, our
allies, and our partners. North Korea continues to refine nuclear weapon
capabilities and deploy long-range ballistic missiles. Likewise, Iran is pur-
suing nuclear weapons and ballistic missile technologies capable of deliv-
ering WMD. Additionally, terrorist networks seek these weapons for use
against a wide array of targets. All constitute a direct threat to our home-
land as well as to allies and partners.

The complexity of these geopolitical changes and military challenges,
particularly during a period of fiscal uncertainty, requires a bold and in-
novative approach by the Sea Services. This approach demands both a
deeper cooperative relationship with our allies and partners and a greater
emphasis on Joint Force interdependence, a deliberate and selective
reliance and trust of each Service on the capabilities of the others to
maximize its own effectiveness.

A COOPERATIVE STRATEGY FOR 21ST CENTURY SEAPOWER, MARCH 2015 [9]

FORWARD PRESENCE
AND PARTNERSHIP

Section II

Naval forces operate forward to shape the security environment, signal U.S. resolve, protect U.S. interests, and promote global prosperity by defending freedom of navigation in the maritime
commons. By expanding our network of allies and partners and improving
our ability to operate alongside them, naval forces: foster the secure envi-
ronment essential to an open economic system based on the free flow
of goods, protect U.S. natural resources, promote stability, deter conflict,
and respond to aggression. During crises, forward naval forces provide the
President immediate options to defend our interests, de-escalate hostili-
ties, and keep conflict far from our shores. During wartime, forward naval
forces fight while preserving freedom of access—and action—for follow-
on forces.

The Navy’s current budget submission will provide for more than 300
ships and a forward presence of about 120 ships by 2020, up from an aver-
age of 97 in 2014, to be “where it matters, when it matters.” This includes
forward-based naval forces overseas in places like Guam, Japan, and
Spain; forward-operating forces deploying from overseas locations such
as Singapore; and rotationally deployed forces from the United States. To
provide forward presence more efficiently and effectively, we will adopt
the following force employment innovations:

■ Increase forward-basing of forces abroad to reduce costly rota-

tions and deployments, while boosting in-theater presence.

■ Provide globally distributed and networked expeditionary forces
in concert with our allies and partners to increase effective naval
presence, strategic agility, and responsiveness.

■ Employ modular designed platforms that allow mission modules
and payloads to be swapped instead of entire ships, saving time
and money. Littoral Combat Ships, which will be redesignated as
Frigates (FF) in the future, are an example of this capability.

[10] Forward ✦ Engaged ✦ Ready

In early January 2011, the 26th
Marine Expeditionary Unit

(MEU), embarked aboard the
USS Kearsarge Amphibious
Ready Group (ARG) in the
Arabian Sea, was directed
to land its ground combat
element in Afghanistan to

support Operation Enduring
Freedom. Shortly thereafter

the tumultuous events of the
“Arab Spring” began to unfold
in North Africa, and a portion

of the ARG/MEU was directed
into the Mediterranean. To

reconstitute the MEU’s ground
combat capabilities, they

stopped at Crete long enough
to embark 400 Marines flown

in from the 2nd Marine Division
in Camp Lejeune. They then

positioned off the coast of Libya
to participate in Operation

Odyssey Dawn, conducting
air strikes against the Gaddafi
regime as well as successfully
recovering a downed U.S. Air

Force F-15E Strike Eagle pilot.
These events illustrate the

inherent operational flexibility
and strategic mobility of the

Navy–Marine Corps team.

The security environment changes,

the tactics, techniques and procedures

change, the threats change, but what

won’t change is our role as the Nation’s

crisis response force of choice.

—GENERAL DUNFORD

‘‘ ‘‘

A COOPERATIVE STRATEGY FOR 21ST CENTURY SEAPOWER, MARCH 2015 [11]

■ Expand the practice of employing adaptive force packages, which
tailor naval capabilities to specific regional environments, thereby
ensuring that our assets are located where they are most needed.
For example, we tailor naval capabilities for participation in UNI-
TAS, an annual multinational maritime exercise with our partners
in the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility, so that more
capable Amphibious Ready Groups (ARG) with embarked Marine
Expeditionary Units (MEU) and Carrier Strike Groups …