Strongnavy is necessary foru. S. security
AsHouston hostsNavy Week from Oct. 22 to Oct. 28, sailors from across the country will visit to share their stories and explain howtheU. S. Navy protects America andwhywe need a strongNavy nowmore than ever.
During theWar of 1812, America called on theNavy and its sailors to preserve the country’s security. Somany of the qualities that helped the Navy win 200 years ago still hold true: the sailors’ fighting spirit, theNavy’s innovation and technological supremacy, the direct link between a strong Navy and a prosperous America through global trade, and theNavy’s key role in preserving American sovereignty.
Today, Navy ships fight on the sea; Navy submarines fight under the sea; andNavy aircraft fight over the sea, taking off from and landing onNavy aircraft carriers. Many of Houston’s own brave men andwomen are making a difference in theNavy. More than 1,500Houstonians serve on active duty in ourNavy, and more than 2,000 are in theNavy reserves.
TheUnited States is a maritime nation, bound by oceans on both sides. Since water covers about 70 percent of the Earth’s surface, 80 percent of theworld’s population lives near the sea, and approximately 90 percent of allworld trade by volume travels by sea, it is easy to seewhy a strong Navy is vital. The ability to act from the sea is critical to national security and allows theNavy to protect America’s interests— anywhere, any time.
TheNavy’s job continues to grow. The president’s national security strategy emphasizes our commitment in theAsiaPacific andMiddle East regions, vast, maritime areas of theworld suited for naval operations. Elsewhere in theworld, we face diverse challenges. We face a terrorist network that has attacked our country before, and vows to do so again. Unstable regimes are developing nuclear weapons. Rising powers have begun military buildups tomatch their economic growth. Weak and failed states create havens for groups that seek to do us harm, such as al- Qaida in Afghanistan and Somali pirates. Climate change is creating newconflicts, as Arctic melting foments disputes over shipping lanes and oil supplies previously locked in ice.
TheNavy is ideally suited for this kind ofworld because it is fast, flexible and ready to operate forward. Our ships, submarines, aircraft and SEAL teams can go anywhere in theworld on short notice, and they can do all of their work from the sea. In a humanitarian crisis like the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck northern Japan, theNavy can deliver relief supplies and provide medical care. On any given day, theNavy has the ability to attack a terrorist camp, capture a pirate vessel or deliver emergency relief.
Our ready force requires us to be smart about howwe power our ships, aircraft and submarines. That’s why theNavy is a leader in pursuing energy innovation. By 2016, the Navy will sail the Great Green Fleet, a carrier strike group composed of nuclear- powered ships, hybrid electric ships running on biofuel, and aircraft flying on biofuel. We have tripled our solar energy use andwe are exploring wind, geothermal and hydrothermal power. These initiatives will give us a fighting advantage in the nextwar, and may help avoid the nextwar altogether.
AstrongNavy is necessary to preserve ourway of life. Sailorswho are highly trained, highly motivated and courageous make theNavy a premier force capable of meeting any challenge. This is theNavy America has today and needs in the future.