President's Message

Sea Power Ambassadors: Building Support for U.S. Fleets

Our sea services need our help now to deal with a national security crisis in the making. The threats to the nation's security are increasing at the very moment that the size of our Navy and Coast Guard fleets is declining. That is why the Navy League is re-launching its Sea Power Ambassadors Program, a grassroots effort to educate the public and the Congress about the need to enlarge our nation's fleets.

Public support is needed because our nation faces tough challenges in the years ahead. The war on terrorism will be long and difficult. Threats from rogue nations such as North Korea remind us of the need for strong and flexible defense forces. Our nation is on the verge of deploying a missile-defense system that will be based in part on ships at sea, driving fleet requirements upward. The United States needs a more distributed fleet, creating the need for a larger logistics force.

Moreover, our defense strategy today is radically different than it was only 13 years ago, at the end of the Soviet era. During the Cold War, we relied substantially on the array of U.S. Air Force and Army bases located throughout Europe. They were our first line of defense against Soviet aggression. Our stockpile of long-range nuclear missiles based in the United States helped bridle Soviet ambitions. But the threat of a massive assault across the plains of Europe is no longer a chief security concern. Our nuclear capabilities remain essential, but they were not designed for the regional conflicts of the 21st century.
Today, we are dealing with foes far less predictable than was the Soviet Union. Our defensive strategy must be based on highly mobile forces. We need a Navy that consistently can launch different compositions of forces to deal with unpredictable threats. The Navy of the near future must be more flexible and more responsive than ever before. Our nation needs a surge Navy, able to project power to great distances, quickly and on short notice. Our Coast Guard, long hampered by inadequate funding, was assigned vital additional security duties in the aftermath of 9/11.

Our forces have performed brilliantly since the terrorist attacks against our nation. But behind their shining record of achievement lies a certain threat to our future security. Our naval fleet is in decline. It has dropped in size from 594 ships in 1987 to 295 ships today. Since the end of the Soviet era, our nation has ordered an average of just six naval ships per year. If this rate continues, our fleet will sink to 180 ships by 2024. Our Coast Guard has become all too well known for its aging ships, hull breeches, and costly maintenance. Our Navy requires 10 to 12 new ships per year to build the fleet required for tomorrow's challenges. Most ships of the Coast Guard fleet should be replaced.

Adm. Vern Clark, chief of naval operations, says the Navy fleet of the future should comprise approximately 375 ships. Speaking at a Naval Academy luncheon in April, Clark said, "I have a broad frame of reference that says we need about 135 combatants, 12 carriers, 55 submarines and, since it is going to be a more distributed force, we'll need a larger logistics force." Additional logistics ships and the missile defense mission will push the fleet to about 375 ships, he said. Adm. Thomas H. Collins, commandant of the Coast Guard, has spoken repeatedly of the need to re-equip the service with consistent support of the Integrated Deepwater System.

Rebuilding and expanding our Navy and Coast Guard will be achieved only through an active, organized grass roots education campaign led by Navy Leaguers serving as Sea Power Ambassadors. The mission of every Sea Power Ambassador is to educate the American public and elected officials on the need to rebuild our fleets. Members of Congress, the President, and presidential candidates need to hear from their constituents--repeatedly--that bolstering America's sea power should be a national priority.

That is why the Sea Power Ambassador program is so vital. Our Navy League goals today are identical to the goals of the Navy League 101 years ago: To educate the Congress and the American people on the need for strong sea services and to support our men and women in uniform. The Sea Power Ambassador program gives us the tools to perform our mission. Navy League members can play a major role in this program with very little time and effort. Some can make speeches. Others have the ability to get the attention of the local press. Each of us can write a letter.
Navy Leaguers, and all who believe in the need for a strong Navy, can become Sea Power Ambassadors at www.seapowerambassador.org. This interactive web site will provide each Ambassador with the tools he or she needs to play a part in this grass roots education program, including continuously updated information on the status of our sea services fleets.

Our way of life is based in large part on our status as a maritime super power. We must begin now to adequately fund our naval fleets, and overcome more than a decade of under-investment in Navy and Coast Guard ships.