Naval Operations Concept - Defense Technical Information Center

Chapter
Maritime Security
Naval power is the natural defense of the United States.
—President John Adams, 1796
2 nd President of the United States
Background
As a maritime nation, the United States is dependent upon the sea for both
national security and economic prosperity. The Nation is geographically
blessed and bounded by two great oceans that have historically protected
us from external threats and enabled us to garner the world’s resources
and engage in the global markets. The safety and economic interests of the
United States, its allies and partners critically depend upon the unimpeded
trade and commerce that traverse the world’s oceans. Consequently, U.S.
vital national interests are tied to a secure maritime environment, which
in turn places global responsibilities upon the Naval Service.
Maritime security is a non-doctrinal term defined as those tasks and
operations conducted to protect sovereignty and maritime resources,
support free and open seaborne commerce, and to counter maritimerelated
terrorism, weapons proliferation, transnational crime, piracy,
environmental destruction, and illegal seaborne immigration. Effective
maritime security requires a comprehensive effort to promote global
economic stability and protect legitimate ocean-borne activities from
hostile or illegal acts in the maritime domain. In addition to security
operations along the U.S. coastline, globally-distributed naval forces
conducting maritime security operations contribute to homeland
defense in depth.
Maritime security may be divided into individual or collective categories.
Individual maritime security operations involve actions taken by a single
nation-state to provide for its safety and security, consistent with its
rights. While the responsibility and capacity of individual nations
to secure their territorial waters is the foundation upon which global
Chapter Maritime Security