Why The Obama Administration Shifting To A Naval Dominance Strategy

The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan travels through the Pacific Ocean with other ships assigned to the Rim of the Pacific 2010 exercise, north of Hawaii, July 24, 2010. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Dylan McCord

Clinton Embraces the Navy -- Robert Farley, Foreign Policy

Will U.S. competition with China for naval dominance spark a new Cold War on the high seas?

On Tuesday evening, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recounted, for the benefit of an audience of midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy, the tension of watching the Osama bin Laden raid play out in real time. She also warned North Korea against testing a ballistic missile in honor of Kim Il Sung's birthday, and sketched out some themes relating to the future of U.S. relations with China. In what may be the most important but least remarked upon part of the speech, however, Secretary Clinton signaled the Obama administration's embrace of the vision set forth in the U.S. Navy's Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower, the 2007 strategic guidance document linking maritime power to the success of the liberal international order, and may have tipped the administration's hand with regard to how the defense realignment of the next decade will play out. Clinton's speech effectively aligned U.S. East Asian strategy with the Navy's cooperative strategic concept, a move that may signal the direction of U.S. regional defense and diplomatic policy and structure the character of China's response.

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My Comment: The document that outlines the U.S. Navy's Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower is here. It is only 20 pages long, but it documents clearly why the Obama administration is shifting to a naval dominance strategy.