Navy example essay topic

Terrorism and Its Effects on the Immediate Future of the United States Navy American naval policies changed much in the two some hundred odd years of its existence, but one factor has remained constant, and this one aspect will never change. The United States prides itself and boasts superiority based on the fact that it is a peaceful, non-aggressive country, unless unduly acted upon. America will always be on the defensive to begin with. The numbers of ships that they carry is always proportional to the total number of ships held by other countries, for safety, unless in time of war. The principles by which the navy is run is extremely simple, and it will be easy to generalize naval doings of the past and relate them to the future.

From the Revolutionary War to the present day conflict in Iraq, boats have evolved, and technology advanced, but the navy still runs the same way. From fragile wooden canon toting ships to the vessels that can fight both in the air and the on the sea, and the vessels that can fight on the sea and underwater, technological advances would never much change the navy's official policy. The United States has always only maintained a number of ships in order to keep the rest of the world afraid of making sudden offenses, until wartime, when the President would authorize the mass production of our most effective vessels. It is easy to assume that this will keep true within the next fifty years, especially since monitoring technology such as satellites and spy planes makes it easier to assess other nations' navies. Also, it is important to note that in time of war, such as today, navies will be held at a large scale in the face of threat. Upkeep of a strong navy in the face of the enemy is incredibly important because the oceans are the only thing standing between home shores and the enemy.

The navy will always be an important part of foreign diplomacy, but with the invention of such things as the stealth bomber and planes that could transport large number of troops faster than on the water, the navy started to have less significance. Technology has been invented that can skip the oceans in the blink of an eye, but the sea has still remained an important facet of each countries armed forces. In the near future, the navy will be used more as a mode of defense, because of the extremely localized fighting that is going on today. An example is trying to fight terror, attacking small bunkers and compounds with little to no room for error. Navies are designed to fight navies, with the example of the swarm technique used by naval aviators, and the inaccuracies of a destroyer's guns, to the torpedoes of a submarine that is only effective against sea faring vessels and coastal structures. The sea has always been the medium for trade, and is still used for transport today, so control and safety at the seas will still be important, but the army, supported by the marines and the air force, will do the fighting As for the strategy aspect of the navy, it will be one to always adapt to fighting conditions.

For the Revolutionary War, the States forged out of nothing a navy that would survive until today, up until Vietnam, when small riverboats were needed to navigate the South Asian jungles. The United States Navy has never had trouble producing whatever necessary to fight. In the future, however, current events point to the fact that the navy will not have to readily attack another navy nor bombard a coastal country, but simply be a "bully", or a figurehead, in essence, a "Do Not Mess With Sign". The next fifty years will hold few obstacles for the navy to overcome, and even if war is waged with a coastal country, the array of plans available to the navy is extremely comprehensive, and a specific class boat is available for any job necessary. As for battles, it was discussed earlier that with the ramifications and the continuance of the "War on Terrorism", and the structure of states now, that the Untied States will not wage war on a country or group of countries.

We recognize that countries are not under the control of one man and the decisions of the government to not speak for the opinions and beliefs of the people, especially women and children. It is important to realize that we will not go to war with Iraq, but only as small group of people in Iraq, as we would never wage a full-scale assault on an unsuspecting country in the face of peace. The navy, today and in the past is characteristic of the destruction of sea-based structures, other sea faring vessels, and coastal edifices, on a very large scale. In the near future, large-scale destruction will not be necessary, only acute, precise attacks. Battles, if any will only be sea based if any country decides to attack out of the blue, or else there will be no major battles... Weapons and technology will advance exponentially whether in war or peacetime.

Such long-range missiles already exist that bypass any use of an ocean, or a boat to bring it in range, that ships wont even need to carry missiles any longer. Bombs have become smarter and smarter with tracking devices and laser targeting that soon, neither planes nor personnel will even be necessary to "paint" a target, but it will all be soon done by satellite. Ships are becoming only faster, more complex, and capable of longer campaigns than before. Submarines will have a longer range than ever before, and who knows, there might even be plans for sub-marine submarine bases. The fact of the matter is that an end has been reached. With the inventions of the cannon and automatic weapons, and even gunpowder, there was always room for more, room to expand, a weapon that killed more, faster, at a lesser cost.

The world has reached this point, and will only continue to master the understandings of radioactivity, nuclear studies, and weapons of mass destruction that involve those two things. If we have a weapon that could kill the world once over, is it worth researching something that will destroy it twice over? We are approaching a new age for the United States Navy. Based on the growth patterns of the navy's history and concurrent themes throughout different wars and peacetime, there is always the possibility that this peacetime will be no different. The major catalyst to the changes that will come about in the navy will be as a result of our "War on Terror". At this day in age, there are many voices that will be heard at any time in the United States, as compared to in the past, and most voices fear terrorism, and wish to destroy it.

The present conflict is a ready example of its effects. Though terrorism is not completely wiped from the face of the earth, it is the next big enemy. It is today's Hitler, or today's North Vietnam, or today's England oppressing somebody somewhere, whether or not it involves American citizens. The principle difference is that there is not definite localization of our enemies. Sure there are factions here and masterminds there, but it is in no way similar to what we have seen before.

During Vietnam, the conflict was in Vietnam and involved the Vietnamese, and the Northern army was the clear opponent, visible, labeled, and dressed: you shoot him if you see him. During the Revolutionary War, England was the enemy, and Americans shot anything in a red coat. Terrorism however is different. Terrorists aren't labeled, nor localized, and do not fall under a ethnic background. They do not wear uniforms and advertise that they are terrorist, and they are only discovered by the time its too late. The navy has a specialty: fighting countries, whether it be blockading supplies to the army and / or country itself, or bombarding the country from the water, or assisting the launch of a missile or bomb into a city causing mass destruction.

They will not be effective on an enemy that does not have designated supply lines, designated boundaries, and may be one person among many innocents.