In March, the Center for Naval Analysis, a federally funded research institute published a report called, "The Navy at a Tipping Point: Maritime Dominance at Stake." (Full disclosure: I participate with the think tank on a part-time basis.) The title pretty much says it all.
The Navy's think tank wanted to know at what point the U.S. Navy's global preeminence evaporates. Demand for U.S. naval force has increased over the past 10 years, as carrier-based aircraft played an important role in Iraq and currently conduct a large portion of strike missions in Afghanistan. More than 10,000 sailors have been assigned to shore duty in support of the U.S. war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Navy SEALs have seen service in large numbers in both wars. Cooperative efforts with other navies—for example, in Africa, ballistic missile defense patrols, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations from Indonesia to Haiti, have increased U.S. dependence on naval forces. At the same time the fleet is getting smaller: It has decreased by nearly 20 percent in the last decade, while the number of deployed ships has stayed about the same.
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