The Role of the Naval Services in Irregular Warfare
2009
Prokopovich, Paul
The United States Navy of today finds itself facing a wider variety of threats in more locations than it ever has in its history. The national security of the U.S. depends on the naval services' ability to meet these maritime challenges across a wide spectrum of conventional and irregular threats. In addition, the stability of today's interconnected, global economy is vital to U.S. national interests and rests on the requirement for commercial shipping to be able to freely navigate the waters around the world. As today's "long" war on terrorism continues to unfold, we have seen a threat develop that employs insurgent activity and terrorism to counter the capability of superior conventional U.S. forces. The recent development of an Irregular Warfare (IW) Joint Operating Concept (JOC) shifts the focus of the military's irregular operations on a region?s relevant population. This is the central tenant in the mission to eliminate the ability of international terrorist organizations to operate amongst foreign populations. The increasing emphasis on IW is forcing the Navy to reconsider the traditional definition of the "maritime environment" in which the service operates. The jointly signed document, "A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower" outlines the increasing importance that littoral regions and inland waterways such as ports, harbors, and rivers have on our nation's security. The widening nature of this maritime domain will require greater cooperation with the U.S. Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and all of our international partners in the future to ensure stability and security in order to protect our nation from terrorist organizations.
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