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• Four U.S. territories (Puerto Rico, the
Virgin Islands, Guam, and the northern Marianas)
lie overseas.
• We have formal alliances with 42 nations,
40 of which lie overseas and two (Canada and
Mexico) that border the United States.
• Our principal allies (NATO and Japan) are
highly dependent on United States support and
imports, the bulk of which must be transported
by sea.
• Ninety-nine percent of United States’
overseas trade is transported by sea lanes of
communication (world trade routes).
• U.S. industrial output depends on con-
tinued shipments of raw materials and energy-
producing resources from overseas.
• Our ability to control the sea is essential
in the deterrence of general war and aggression
against any nation or area vital to our interest.
SEA POWER IN SUPPORT OF
OUR NATIONAL OBJECTIVES
One of the greatest concerns of those in the
naval service is the Navy’s mission, function, and
role involving sea power in support of the national
objective of the United States. The younger sailor
often asks questions such as Why are we getting
underway? What is the purpose of this deploy-
ment? Why are we operating on the other side of
the world?
To understand the answers to these questions,
you need a good understanding of the Navy’s
mission. You also need to understand the
functions and roles the Navy plays in support of
this mission.
MISSION OF THE NAVY
The mission of the U.S. Navy is set forth in
Title 10 of the U.S. Code. It states that the U.S.
Navy must be prepared to conduct prompt and
sustained combat operations in support of the
national interest. This means the Navy must
assure continued maritime superiority for the
United States. The U.S. Navy must be able to
totally defeat any threats to the continued free use
of the high seas by the United States. The Navy
assures continued maritime superiority through
the destruction of hostile aircraft, surface ships,
and submarines that threaten seaborne forces of
the United States and our allies. This mission is
carried out within the framework of the national
strategy, in joint coordination with the other
services, and in combined planning with U.S.
allies.
To fully understand the Navy’s mission, you
should be familiar with the following terms:
NATIONAL STRATEGY—National
strategy is that broad course of action
designed to achieve national objectives in
support of national interests. The United
States maintains defense forces to preserve
its physical security and protect its political
independence. The ability of the defense
forces to satisfy this objective depends on
their capacity to deter aggression and to
prevent coercion. It also depends on their
capacity to exercise a degree of influence
to shape world events in a manner con-
ducive to U.S. interests.
NATIONAL OBJECTIVES—National
objectives are specific goals our nation
seeks to advance, support, or protect
identified national interests. These goals
can be categorized as political or economic
objectives or as objectives of security.
NATIONAL INTERESTS—National
interests are generalized conditions, fre-
quently of a continuing nature, the pursuit
or protection of which is perceived to be
advantageous to the nation. They range
from the ultimate interest, national sur-
vival, to specific regional interests that
determine the importance of a region to the
security of the United States.
NAVAL STRATEGY—Naval strategy
is the use of naval forces (including naval
aviation and Marine forces) to achieve
naval objectives that are determined by
national strategy.
The overall naval-
strategy objective is to control the sea and
deny an enemy’s use of the sea in those
areas important to our operations.
FUNCTIONS OF THE NAVY
The primary functions of the Navy and the
Marine Corps are to organize, train, and equip
Navy and Marine Corps forces to conduct prompt
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