The Royal Navy has endured a long period of continual adjustment ever since it lost its global pre-eminence to the US Navy during World War II. But, in the Cold War decades, even as the size of its fleet seemed to decline inexorably, it remained unquestionably the most powerful Western navy after that of the United States. Today it faces a new world. The centre of maritime gravity has shifted dramatically eastwards. Although the US Navy will remain the most powerful in the world, nations such as China, India, Japan, South Korea and Brazil, with their expanding fleets, will increasingly influence naval affairs. The Royal Navy has to find its place in this world. The immediate post-Cold-War years seemed to offer the promise (at least as far as the Royal Navy was concerned) of Britain pursuing a maritime-centred expeditionary strategy. But then came the long land-based campaigns of Iraq and Afghanistan, followed by economic crisis and austerity. The Royal Navy's operational strength has been squeezed significantly in recent years, and naval chiefs have complained of national 'sea blindness'.
No comments:
Post a Comment