Naval Operations Concept - Defense Technical Information Center

Summary
NOC 10 describes who we are as a Naval Service, what we believe, where
we operate, and what we provide the Nation. In this era of strategic
uncertainty, regionally concentrated and globally distributed naval forces are
uniquely capable of preventing conflict and, when necessary, prevailing in
war. The ability to overcome diplomatic, geographic, and military impediments
to access is critical to projecting power overseas in support of U.S
national interests and those of its allies and partners. Naval forces use the
sea as maneuver space to overcome these impediments and to respond
effectively to a broad range of nuclear, conventional and irregular challenges.
To this end, the core capabilities in the Maritime Strategy—forward
presence, maritime security, HA/DR, sea control, power projection and
deterrence—manifest in the Naval Service, serving to promote peace and
prosperity for the common good of the global community.
The Naval Service operates in a security environment characterized by
an increasing number of concurrent, diverse challenges, perpetrated by
both state and non-state actors, that is evolving toward a new multi-polar
balance of global power. The Naval Service recognizes the importance
of allies and partners in this environment, and is committed to collaboratively
building the interoperability and capacity necessary to share
the burden of achieving global maritime security and providing for the
common defense of like-minded nations.
The Naval Service capabilities presented in NOC 10 represent a balance
carefully designed to address the requirement to concurrently enhance
global maritime security, prevent and respond to crises, and defeat very
capable adversaries in accordance with the concept. The ideas in NOC 10
will be refined over time through wargaming, experimentation, operational
analysis and practical experience—ultimately resulting in changes to the
way naval forces are employed. That said, it is unlikely such refinements
will diminish the requirement for naval forces in the foreseeable future.
Most importantly, NOC 10 underscores that Sailors, Marines and Coast
Guardsmen are, and will always be, the foundation of the Naval Service.
They possess the willpower, creativity, inspiration, reason, knowledge, and
experience to overcome adversity and accomplish any task. They are the
driving force behind successful implementation of the Maritime Strategy.