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Naval Forces

Naval Forces INTRODUCTION Historically, navies have played a major role in shaping and supporting the international order, and there has been a consistently high interest in, and expenditure on, naval forces. In neither respect has the stature of naval forces waned in the 30 years since World War II. For a period during the 1950s regard for conventional forces, including navies, declined because the predominant scenario was nuclear war. It was generally conceded that once nuclear weapons were extensively used any war would be over before conventional forces could play any significant role. This view was short-lived. As the Soviet Union expanded and diversified its nuclear arsenal, it became apparent that nuclear weapons were essentially unusable except as a last resort. This, of course, expanded the range and scale of conflicts that could conceivably occur without recourse to these weapons, and, accordingly, regard for conventional forces flourished. At about the same time, the introduction of nuclear-powered submarines capable of launching long-range missiles while submerged brought the most important and prestigious military function of the postwar era, strategic deterrence, firmly into the naval fold. Even in its infancy the ballistic-missile submarine was recognized as a weapon system ideally suited to the http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Ocean Yearbook Online Brill

Naval Forces

Ocean Yearbook Online , Volume 1 (1): 24 – Jan 1, 1978
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Publisher
Brill
Copyright
Copyright © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
eISSN
2211-6001
DOI
10.1163/221160078X00201
Publisher site
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Abstract

INTRODUCTION Historically, navies have played a major role in shaping and supporting the international order, and there has been a consistently high interest in, and expenditure on, naval forces. In neither respect has the stature of naval forces waned in the 30 years since World War II. For a period during the 1950s regard for conventional forces, including navies, declined because the predominant scenario was nuclear war. It was generally conceded that once nuclear weapons were extensively used any war would be over before conventional forces could play any significant role. This view was short-lived. As the Soviet Union expanded and diversified its nuclear arsenal, it became apparent that nuclear weapons were essentially unusable except as a last resort. This, of course, expanded the range and scale of conflicts that could conceivably occur without recourse to these weapons, and, accordingly, regard for conventional forces flourished. At about the same time, the introduction of nuclear-powered submarines capable of launching long-range missiles while submerged brought the most important and prestigious military function of the postwar era, strategic deterrence, firmly into the naval fold. Even in its infancy the ballistic-missile submarine was recognized as a weapon system ideally suited to the

Journal

Ocean Yearbook Online – Brill

Published: Jan 1, 1978

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