Seapower : a guide for the twenty-first century / Geoffrey Till.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Till, Geoffrey.

Series:

Cass series--naval policy and history ; 51.

Cass series: naval policy and history ; 51

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Sea-power.

Physical Description:

xvii, 412 pages : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm.

Edition:

Third edition.

Place of Publication:

Abingdon, Oxon ; New York : Routledge, 2013.

Summary:

The rise of the Chinese and other Asian navies, worsening quarrels over maritime jurisdiction, and the United States' maritime pivot towards the Asia-Pacific region remind us that the sea has always been central to human development as a source of resources, and as a means of transportation, information-exchange and strategic dominion. It has provided the basis for mankind's prosperity and security, and this is even more true in the early twenty-first century, with the emergence of an increasingly globalised world trading system. Navies have always provided a way of policing, and sometimes exploiting, the system. In contemporary conditions, navies and coastguards are having to adapt, in order to exert the maximum power ashore in the company of others and to expand the range of their interests, activities and responsibilities. While these new tasks are developing fast, traditional ones still predominate. Deterrence remains the first duty of today's navies, backed up by the need to 'fight and win' if necessary. How navies and their states balance these two imperatives will tell us a great deal about our future in this increasingly maritime century. This hook investigates the consequences of all this for the developing nature, composition and functions of all the world's significant navies, and provides a guide for anyone interested in the changing and crucial role of seapower in the twenty-first century. Seapower is essential reading for all students of naval power, maritime security and naval history, and is highly recommended for students of strategic studies, international security and international relations. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 In search of seapower 1

1.1 Introduction: the maritime case 1

1.2 Explaining success: the four attributes of the sea 5

1.3 Defining seapower 23

2 Seapower in a globalising world: two competing tendencies 27

2.1 Introduction: seapower and globalisation 27

2.2 The modem navy 32

2.3 The post-modern navy 35

2.4 Enablers and choices 41

2.5 Modern/post-modern compromises 42

3 Who said what and why it matters 45

3.1 The value of theory in maritime operations 45

3.2 On types of theory 46

3.3 The early development of theory 52

3.4 Mahan and the bluewater tendency 56

3.5 Corbett and the maritime tradition 61

3.6 Alternative visions in maritime strategy 73

3.7 Operational art and modern maritime theory 79

3.8 Present and future challenges 84

4 The constituents of seapower 87

4.1 Introduction 87

4.2 Identifying the constituents of seapower 88

4.3 Maritime people, society and government 88

4.4 Maritime geography 92

4.5 Resources 99

4.6 A maritime economy 103

4.7 Seapower by other means 109

4.8 Understanding 114

5 Navies and technology 116

5.1 Introduction 116

5.2 Classifying navies 116

5.3 Estimating relative effectiveness 119

5.4 Navies and technology: an introduction 122

5.5 Platforms 122

5.6 Systems, weapons and sensors 128

5.7 An information revolution? 130

5.8 The challenge of transformational technology 135

5.9 A strategy for innovation 136

5.10 Navies and technology: summary and conclusions 143

6 Command of the sea and sea control 144

6.1 Evolution of a traditional concept 144

6.2 Limits and qualifications 145

6.3 Pursuing command in moderation 149

6.4 Command of the sea yields to sea control 150

6.5 Sea denial 152

6.6 Contemporary angles 154

7 Securing command of the sea 157

7.1 Securing command of the sea: the operational approach 157

7.2 Decisive battle 158

7.3 Forms and styles of decisive battle 162

7.4 How to achieve a decisive victory 165

7.5 Contemporary forms and concepts of battle 170

7.6 Operational alternatives to battle 172

7.7 The fleet-in-being approach 173

7.8 The fleet blockade 178

8 Exploiting command of the sea: maritime power projection 184

8.1 Maritime power projection: definitions 184

8.2 Maritime power projection: aims 186

8.3 Amphibious operations 189

8.4 Operational manoeuvre from the sea 196

8.5 Sea-based strategic missile attack of the shore 201

8.6 Defence against maritime power projection 203

9 Exploiting command of the sea: control of maritime communications 210

9.1 The attack of maritime communications 210

9.2 The defence of maritime communications 215

9.3 Contemporary relevance? 219

10 Naval diplomacy 221

10.1 Coverage of naval diplomacy in the literature: who said what? 221

10.2 The diplomatic value of naval power 223

10.3 The range and extent of naval diplomacy 225

10.4 Naval presence 226

10.5 Naval picture building 231

10.6 Naval coercion 233

10.7 Collaborative naval diplomacy and coalition building 242

10.8 Naval diplomacy: implications for strategy makers 247

11 Expeditionary operations 252

11.1 Origins and background 252

11.2 Definitions 253

11.3 Expeditionary operations: the political dimension 255

11.4 Expeditionary operations: the urban dimension 257

11.5 Expeditionary operations: the maritime dimension 258

11.6 Staging a sea-based expedition: the maritime requirements 262

11.7 Conclusion 279

11.8 HADR: a humanitarian postscript 280

12 Maintaining good order at sea: maritime security at home and away 282

12.1 Introduction: a renaming of parts? 282

12.2 Good order at sea and maritime security 283

12.3 Navies and coastguards in defence of the sea as a stock resource 284

12.4 Navies and coastguards in defence of the sea as a means of transportation-a flow resource 289

12.5 Navies and coastguards in the defence of the sea as an environment 300

12.6 Navies and coastguards, and the defence of the sea as an area of sovereignty and dominion 303

12.7 Good order at sea: general requirements 304

12.8 Good order at sea: implications for navies 316

13 The South China Sea: a case study 318

13.1 The South China Sea as a stock resource 319

13.2 The South China Sea as a flow resource 320

13.3 The South China Sea as a physical environment 321

13.4 The South China Sea: the need for good order 322

13.5 The South China Sea as an area of sovereignty 323

13.6 The South China Sea as a medium for dominion 328

13.7 So what? 333

14 Conclusions? 338

14.1 Competitive and collaborative trends in naval development are all-important but impossible to predict 338

14.2 The relative importance of the sea and seapower will tend to rise in the twenty-first century 339

14.3 Shifting attitudes to the global commons 340

14.4 Debating the littorals 346

14.5 The range and diversity of naval tasks are likely to increase 347

14.6 There are no easy answers 348.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780415622615

0415622611

9780415622622

041562262X

9780203105917

0203105915

OCLC:

776533536