---------------------------------------------------------------- The Navy Public Affairs Library (NAVPALIB) A service of the Navy Office of Information, Washington DC Send feedback/questions to navpalib@opnav-emh.navy.mil ---------------------------------------------------------------- Department of the Navy Policy Paper "...From the Sea" Update WORKING WITH OTHER NATIONS Fall 1993 Reflecting dramatic changes in the geo-political landscape, the Navy and Marine Corps have developed a new strategic vision -- "...From the Sea." Published in late 1992, "...From the Sea" shifts naval strategy away from global war at sea to regional concerns in areas important to U.S. security interests. The operational focus of the naval services is now fixed on littoral warfare, with a correspondingly greater reliance on rapid and effective response to events which threaten U.S. interests. "...From the Sea" is a warfighting policy statement that identifies littoral areas as the most likely location of future combat. This policy recognizes the fundamental importance of establishing relations with security partners in peacetime before the onset of a crisis, and being forward- positioned to deter and react effectively to armed aggression. Traditionally these functions have come under the category of forward presence. As discussed in "...From the Sea Update on Forward Presence," successful peacetime forward presence reduces the likelihood of armed conflicts and the requirement to fight -- in the littoral or elsewhere. This paper builds on "...From the Sea" and subsequent "Updates" to address the important role of naval forces in conducting combined exercises and operations. Aimed at promoting peace by sustaining and strengthening relations with security partners, combined exercises and operations also help avert crises in the first place. Finally, if deterrence fails, there are significant crisis benefits from an established pattern of combined exercises and operations. A CHANGED STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENT Much has been written about the differences between the Cold War world and today's security environment. Perhaps one of the major differences is the fact that the United States is no longer the leader of an alliance or coalition dedicated to thwart a rival global power. No longer do we seek support from friends and Allies to counter a hostile global threat. No longer is ours primarily a "negative" alliance -- anti-Soviet, anti-Communist, etc. More so today than in nearly half a century, our nation is able to stress positive international objectives -- pro-democracy, pro-trade, pro-free markets, pro-human rights, etc. FORWARD PRESENCE IN A CHANGED ENVIRONMENT In this new era, forward presence is more than just enforcing peace and deterring aggression in places like the Persian Gulf. Forward presence is now linked inextricably to the fact that we live in an economically and politically interdependent world in which information, capital, raw materials, and manufactured goods must flow freely across borders and oceans. In this environment, our partners are equal beneficiaries of peace and of free, open commerce and communication. Forward presence today underscores U.S. commitment to shared objectives with our friends. Exercises and operations with other naval forces reinforce the bonds of partnership and promote peace. PEACETIME BENEFITS OF COMBINED EXERCISES AND OPERATIONS Because of increased interdependence and shared objectives in the post-Cold War era, cooperation and interaction with the naval forces of friends and Allies offer new benefits. * Promoting peace through enhancing trust, confidence, and transparency. Combined operations and exercises demonstrate U.S. partnership, and they foster confidence and trust in the U.S. Not only do peacetime exercises and operations nurture U.S. bilateral relations with participating states, but by including multiple nations, the relations among nations within a region are improved. For example, during the annual U.S. Naval deployment to South America, known as UNITAS, multilateral exercises are conducted among Brazilian, Uruguayan, Argentinean, and U.S. naval forces. Similarly, UNITAS brings Colombian, Ecuadorian, and U.S. forces together, clarifying intentions and rendering objectives more transparent. This enhances bilateral and multilateral trust, confidence, and understanding. Nations that exercise and operate together rarely fight each other. Similarly, the Commander of U.S. Naval Forces for the Central Command has initiated an aggressive exercise program with the forces of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar. Supported by all Gulf Cooperation Council members, this program is instrumental in strengthening the existing coalition, providing important security assistance to participating nations, and improving U.S. access and relations in the region. In the summer of 1993 the Commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Europe expanded the annual Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) exercise from the traditional core group of German, Dutch, Danish, and U.S. units to include participants from Sweden, Poland, Russia, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, and Norway. The eager and enthusiastic participation by the new players suggests that the expanded BALTOPS exercise can help cement improved relations among nations in the Baltic region -- while also improving U.S. bilateral relations. In addition to the established annual Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercises with the navies of Japan, South Korea, Australia, and Canada, the Commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Pacific utilizes less ship-intensive options to further the Pacific Unified Commander's Cooperative Engagement Strategy in the region. For example, single ships are deployed to visit and exercise with some of the smaller nations in the Pacific region. The Commander of U.S. Marine Forces in the Pacific deploys units as small as a Company of Marines to work with the ground forces of the smaller islands. Additionally, Seabee Civic Action teams, various Mobile Training Teams, seminars like the SEVENTH FLEET Tropical Medicine Seminar, and bilateral Navy-to-Navy Staff Talks are employed to enhance relations in the Pacific region. * Reducing the burden of enforcing UN sanctions. Independent of multilateral exercises in connection with forward presence deployments, the U.S. Navy assigns ships to two standing multinational naval forces - Standing Naval Forces Atlantic (SNFL) and Standing Naval Forces Mediterranean (SNFM). SNFL was established in 1968 and has successfully operated since then, building interoperability among NATO navies. Nine NATO navies provide cruiser, destroyer, and frigate type ships to SNFL. Building on the SNFL precedent, the SNFM squadron was commissioned in 1992 and promptly deployed to enforce United Nations Security Council resolutions in connection with the conflict in the former Yugoslavia. Eight NATO navies provide ships to SNFM. The U.S. Navy routinely provides a guided missile frigate. Through the coordination of the NATO Commander for the Southern Region (AFSOUTH), SNFL, SNFM, and Western European Union (WEU) units today are jointly executing all United Nations maritime interdiction missions in the Adriatic (Operation Sharp Guard), thereby significantly reducing the burden on the U.S. Navy. Reducing the burden of enforcing UN sanctions can be an important benefit of participating in standing multi-national naval forces. * Banked Good Will. Combined exercises and operations also build a foundation of shared interests and good will upon which the U.S. can later draw -- either during peacetime or crisis response periods. The rush of nations to join the Desert Shield/Desert Storm Coalition in 1990 and to assist with Operation Restore Hope in Somalia in late 1992 was based, at least partly, on years of banked good will furthered by exercising with U.S. forces. * Deter acts counter to U.S. interests. Although there is no longer a global threat, adventurism by rogue states is a danger we must guard against. Whether motivated by territorial, ethnic, or economic ambitions, an unscrupulous ruler may conclude that the chances for success are better now than they have been for decades. However, combined exercises and operations send a powerful signal to nations within a region that might consider actions counter to the interests of the United States and its friends. Exercises and operations by regional states with forward present U.S. forces signal that the United States is not alone; nor are our friends and Allies. CRISIS BENEFITS OF COMBINED EXERCISES AND OPERATIONS Should this deterrent fail, the accumulated experience of a pattern of combined exercises and operations will enhance U.S. political legitimacy, force credibility, operational effectiveness, and access. * Legitimacy. While the ability to operate independently must be preserved, in this new era there will be many instances that demonstrate how having regional partners facilitates the realization of U.S. objectives during crises. These partnerships suggest shared values and international consensus, and lend international legitimacy to U.S. interests. This renders regional partnerships especially important; such partnerships are cultivated by combined exercises and operations like those discussed above. Peacetime combined exercises and operations lend legitimacy to U.S. presence within a region and dispel any doubt a potential challenger might have regarding U.S. interests and regional support. Power projection from the sea, and even effecting rescues from the sea, often involve breaches of national sovereignty, i.e., entry into another state's territorial waters. The only legal authority for infringement on national sovereignty comes from the United Nations Charter, which requires that the target state's behavior constitute a ". . . threat to . . . international peace." Without broad and visible international consensus and concurrence by regional states, authorization to violate another nation's sovereignty is unlikely. Such concurrence is made more probable by combined exercises and operations. * Credibility. Forces become credible when the intent to use them seems possible and imminent to observers in target countries. The appearance of a capable naval force from over the horizon is a credible force which can be used for many purposes. A force that includes nations from the region is even more credible because it implies regional political will and resolve to use force. Participation by friends and Allies in routine peacetime exercises with U.S. forces not only builds interoperability, but it also can send a signal to would-be regional challengers that exercise participants from the region possess the political will to join with the U.S. to use force during crises. * Operational Effectiveness. Effective combat operations in the littoral will present technical and tactical challenges that differ from open-ocean operations. These challenges can include the presence of short reaction time enemy shore-based aircraft, tactical ballistic missiles, diesel submarines in shallow water, mines, and sea-skimming missiles launched from fast patrol boats easily concealed, masked, and protected in the littoral environment. Cooperation from friends and Allies can help meet such challenges by complementing and supplementing U.S. expertise and equipment. Combined exercises and operations with the navies of friends and allies directly enhance the combat effectiveness of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps in several ways. Over time, Commanders are able to develop "situational awareness" -- a key element to success in combat. Such awareness includes familiarity with specific environmental conditions peculiar to regional areas, and an appreciation for the capabilities and limitations of systems and equipments in the combined force. Peacetime combined exercises and operations also provide opportunities to practice and refine procedures, tactics, and doctrine designed to increase the combat effectiveness of the force. Finally, the mutual trust and confidence developed among Commanders during combined naval exercises and operations are essential to enabling prompt and effective coalition combat operations. * Access. While "...From the Sea" emphasizes the importance of the "enabling role" of naval forces, it also details the role they play in assuring that the operational effort can be sustained as long as necessary. Sustainability involves transport, munitions, and communications adequate to support the operation. Sustainability is greatly enhanced by the ability to base equipment and personnel ashore. For example, availability of shore-based aircraft to supplement carrier air wing aircraft offers obvious sustainment advantages. Yet, access to airfields and other shore-based facilities, including permission to use foreign airspace, is not normally granted without commonality of purpose, and high confidence both in the proficiency of U.S. forces and the mutually beneficial nature of long-term U.S. intentions. The U.S. case is promoted in all these areas by routinely conducting peacetime combined exercises and operations. NAVY-TO-NAVY STAFF TALKS Flag level Navy-to-Navy Staff Talks also are instrumental in enhancing relations with friends and Allies. The Navy initiated this program over 15 years ago to facilitate discussions of tactics, doctrine, policies, equipment interoperability, and future operations and exercises. The program has grown, and today we hold talks with 16 nations, including Russia. The talks are conducted on a 15-24 month cycle, with the location alternating between Washington and reciprocal countries. Over the years these talks have resulted in close working relationships, and greater mutual understanding and trust. SUMMARY Peacetime combined exercises and operations, coupled with staff talks, further mutual political, economic, and security objectives by demonstrating consensus and shared values between the U.S. and its partners. Combined exercises and operations also have a deterrent effect. But, should deterrence fail, they serve as the basis for politically and militarily viable coalitions to combat nations that might challenge the interests of the U.S. and its partners. Accordingly, our Navy and Marine Corps will continue to pursue a robust program of working with other nations, and will capitalize on current and potential opportunities for cooperative interaction with our friends and Allies around the world. -USN-