The Linebacker Operation and the Sea-Power Factor

Since the end of World War II, the United States Navy has dominated the seas. This power has been built on the strength of its aircraft carriers and high-tech warships.

The escalation of the Vietnam War in 1972 prompted President Richard Nixon to launch Operation Linebacker II in response to North Vietnamese aggression. The operation was designed to intimidate the North Vietnamese into resuming peace talks.

The sea is critical to the global security of the United States. It allows military forces to project power into areas of international tension, assist friends and allies, and maintain international peace and stability.

However, the sea allows adversaries to exploit insufficient control of its waters and choke points. The South China Sea, for example, is home to numerous Chinese and other Asian islands being built to advance territorial claims.

This has made maritime operations for US Navy commanders and sailors complex and challenging, influencing the Department of Defense's approach to naval force structure and mission focus.

A successful operational environment necessitates constant innovation and the development of new capabilities. These include proactive engagement and partnership development, unrivaled power projection, assured littoral access, rapid crisis response, and the ability to sustain expeditionary operations from the sea.

A nation's sea power is its ability to project military force onto the oceans. It comprises various components such as ships, aircraft, auxiliary craft, commercial shipping, bases, and trained personnel.

The role of the seas is more important than ever in this age of globalization and technological innovation. The world's waters are becoming increasingly important as communication and transportation corridors, allowing nations to connect.

The ability to establish and sustain coastal defenses and control littoral chokepoints contributes to naval forces' safety while extending the range and reach of air and ground forces. A credible blue-water or global open-ocean navy also provides power projection and long-term forward presence, both critical to America's national security interests.

A strong logistics and airborne tanker fleet and a resilient and secure C4ISR enterprise support maritime operations far from land-based defenses, laying the groundwork for global maritime operations. This is a critical requirement for a joint force capable of powering through and defeating great power competition and evolving threats in the era of asymmetric warfare.

The ability to project military force onto the seas is called sea power. It is a factor that determines how a country's military forces can operate in the ocean and their ability to withstand enemy attack and control maritime shipping.

It also impacts how a country uses its sea bases and colonies. A country's sea power varies according to geographical position, physical conformation, territory extent, number and quality of harbors, and a country's population, government character, and economic condition.

To be effective at sea, a navy must have diverse capabilities. This includes the ability to conduct warship operations, a diverse range of submarine capabilities, and project naval sea control to inland areas supporting joint land-air operations.

As an integral part of US international strategy, the sea plays a critical role in America's ability to deter and defeat adversaries, strengthen alliances, deny enemies sanctuary, and project global influence. Emerging threats to American interests necessitate constant adaptation in naval warfighting, littoral maneuvers, and amphibious operations as global power shifts horizontally and vertically.

As a result, the United States must maintain and expand its maritime forward-deployed crisis response forces. These capabilities are critical to rebalancing our military posture in the Asia-Pacific region, establishing power projection, providing a stabilizing presence in critical regions, and carrying out humanitarian assistance missions.

As the global economy evolves, marine power is expected to play an important role in providing clean energy solutions. On the other hand, complex marine energy systems can be difficult to install, operate, and maintain, particularly in harsh marine environments. Nonetheless, advances in material engineering may mitigate some of these issues.