US Navy Recruit Training Command - Keel Yearbook (Great Lakes, IL)

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SM, ai.. J .Maw- ,' x,w- f , A ,f THE NAVY AND SEA POWER Early in the seventeenth century Sir Walter Raleigh observed that Whosoever commands the sea, commands the trade, whosoever commands the trade of the world, commands the riches of the world and, consequently, the world itself. That principle is as true today as it was centuries ago. Nothing of major import has occurred, not even the advent of the mod- ern aircraft, to lessen the importance of sea power and sea trade to our national defense and prosperity. The day has not been reached, nor ever will be reached, when control of the seas of the world can be exercised solely by shore-based aviation, guided missiles, and the atom bomb. Control of the sea can be exercised effectively only by forces which travel the sea and can remain at sea for long periods of time. Sea forces and sea-based air forces-in other words, sea power-furnishes the on- ly effective control of the sea. Sea power has a mobility which land power can never have. Whatever the weapons used, aircraft carriers fhighly mobile air fieldsj can be moved at high speed to the most favorable points for attack on enemy targets. What- ever the weapons used, large ground forces can be transported rapidly by naval means to selected coastal points and landed against opposition. The mere threat of such attacks at unpredictable points would im- mobilize large enemy forces held in reserve to meet them, thus forcing the enemy to effect a wide dispersion. Dominant sea pow- er, therefore, in the hands of the United States and its Allies, would deny to an en- emy the ability to attack us from the sea while conferring on us the ability to launch a seaborne attack at any selected point or time. The continued vital importance of sea power is clearly evident. When the oceans of the world are no longer required for the transport of men and goods, then and only then can the United States afford to dis- pense with a Navy. THE NAVY'S OFFENSIVE POWER Fulfilling an historic role the United States Navy today, as in the past, main- tains a vigilant guard over the freedom of the seas. Naval power, as exhibited throughout the struggles of World War II and as used in the United Nation's efforts in the Far East, is an indispensable part of modern defense upon which the security of our country ultimately rests. On the sea, under the sea, in the air above the sea, and in land operations where naval forces including the Marine Corps are committed, the Navy stands ready to meet any aggres- sive challenge whenever and wherever of- fered. The modern fleet includes many task