"This book lays out in specific detail how to bring about a renaissance in American shipping that can restore the foundations of naval shipbuilding required for a fleet able to compete and fight China"-- Provided by publisher.
Since
U.S. Naval Power in the 21st Century was published awareness is up regarding the dangers before the nation, but little has meaningfully changed. A sense of urgency is needed, and a more focused action plan required, which this new book provides. Additionally, new challenges have emerged and must be addressed; nagging uncertainty over domestic industry and available sealift to sustain a wartime economy. The earlier book introduced the organizing framework Naval Statecraft and made clear the Navy would need to be reorganized to compete with China and a national effort undertaken to revitalize our maritime industry. This book lays out in specific detail how to bring about a renaissance in American shipping that can restore the foundations of naval shipbuilding required for a fleet able to compete and fight China. It also provides a detailed plan to reorganize government for long-term competition with China on par with the National Security Act of 1947 and details a new operational structure for the U.S. Navy building on the earlier book’s posture and presence recommendations. Additionally, China’s civilian-military fusion as applied to its acquisition of ports and overseas bases is deconstructed, laying out how Naval Statecraft should be applied to counter this effort within the ‘decisive theaters’ framework introduced in the first book.
Naval Power in Action focuses attention to the United States' current competition with China, laying out a case for acting in three areas: strengthen the homeland to economic coercion, modernize and reorganize institutions to successfully compete, and winning the positional fight with China over markets and military posture.
Amongst duck hunters there is a saying that describes our nation’s current predicament in the competition with China - shooting behind the duck. It means that the actions our leaders have been taking for many years have been reactive and ineffective, said another way, missing their mark. To correct this requires adjusting for the target’s - China’s - reaction and anticipating its course to aim for an interception point. This book aims to inform a near-term (within four years) approach to lead in this competition with China. And there is not much time to begin getting the aim right.
This book refines ideas in Brent Sadler's first book, U.S. Naval Power in the 21st Century, and focuses attention to the present, laying out a case for acting in three areas: strengthen the homeland to economic coercion, modernize and reorganize institutions to successfully compete, and winning the positional fight with China over markets and military posture. Achieving success in these three areas all requires urgent action with effects following in waves - increased maritime presence, followed by improvements in national industrial resiliency and capacities.
Doing this requires acting with what is at hand to deter China, while setting the conditions for a sustained competition well into the future. Bore-sighting on China while necessary can be dangerous if it blinds the nation to other dangers - our nation must be prepared and armed to be able to “chew gum and walk” as often eloquently stated by our political leaders. Top of the ‘to-do’ list - bolstering our economy’s defense to coercion via a variety of vectors - cyber, sanctions, direct attacks. Most urgent is addressing the paucity of shipping on which the nation’s economy floats. This book is a roadmap for how to accomplish this complex task with urgency and effectiveness.
