Steeljaw Scribe

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A Cooperative Strategy For 21st Century Seapower: An Assessment

March 25th, 2008 by User ImageSteeljawscribe

 

Prelude for Round II of the discussions on the Maritime Strategy. 

The document below from the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments will provide the departure point for said discussions beginning 31 March here and over at several of the usual suspects: Information Dissemination, CDR Salamander, OP-FOR.com, Chapomatic, Eagle1 to name but a few. Since the release of the new MS in Oct ‘07   there has been a great deal of focus and discussion on the downward link(s) into force structure and while those are important and vital discussions, an important element has been missing.  Namely the larger discussion of whether this document genuinely constitutes a maritime strategy and if so (or if not) how it relates and interacts to the family of other strategy and policy documents.  For example, as we pointed out on these pages in an earlier post  , there appears to be a disconnect in the discussion on deterrence. 

Many readers (hopefully) will recall that we opened these venues to Guest Authorship by the Navy lead  of the MS in the days following the release of the MS to address questions, concerns and the like from around the ‘verse.  We offer the same bully pulpit this time ’round as well.  Your voice, your words edited only for spelling or other gross grammatical errors.  Additionally, to stimulate the discussion, we offer the pulpit to those who want to expound beyond the limits of the comments section - a useful proposition for some who have encountered the cutoff before (*cough* b2 *cough*).  Just submit your inputs via email to steeljawscribeATgmailDOTcom (you know what to change) and we will publish them under the Guest Author label with your preferred nome de’guerre.  Our only request is as you review the article and the MS that it be less about the raw numbers of force structure and more in the context of the larger question of our national strategy and naval strategy in general and whow does it square with the three functions id’d by Work & Tol:

1. Inform and guide those American fighting men and women who make their professional living by operating on, over, under, and from the sea;
2. Be welcomed by US political leaders and representatives of the American people who will then seek and approve the funds necessary to implement the three Sea Services’ strategy (above those that might otherwise be expected); and
3. Be accepted, if not outright applauded and supported, by US naval allies.

 

 
 
 

Download PDF Here

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We look forward to the coming discussion on these and the other sites in the days/weeks to come.

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6 responses so far ↓

  • 1 Skippy-san Mar 26, 2008 at 5:52

    You might be in interested to know that RADM Kelly had all of his shore station CO’s receive a copy of the MS. He insisted on it. I learned that tidbit while I was slumming over at the galley as the guest of friend today. (It was surf and turf day-prime rib lobster and shrimp-I’m still stuffed). We ate at the same table as the guy who was responisible for distributing it.

    His life really sux this week by the way. The meeting was supposed to be in Sasebo -then the murder of the taxi drive happened………. :evil:

  • 2 Steeljawscribe Mar 26, 2008 at 17:59

    That’s a start — now how many read it?

  • 3 Chapomatic » Neurons A-Firin’ Mar 27, 2008 at 3:28

    [...] see some sparks fly. The link to the van Tol/Work critique is at Steeljaw Scribe, who has some good comments, Eagle1 is putting his thoughts together on it (as well as pointing out the roles and missions [...]

  • [...] we are getting ahead of ourselves.  Something else to think about in the run-up to next week’s renewed discussions over the Maritime Strategy as well as the next nuclear and national strategies.  Make sure you [...]

  • 5 Skippy-san Mar 27, 2008 at 19:01

    Knowing that crowd? Not a one of them. :cry:

  • [...] of a few other items of note. If you haven’t read either the Maritime Strategy or the aforementioned critique, we encourage you to take the time to do so now by following the links accordingly. We also [...]