Evolution of warfare: from the open sea to the littorals

The US navy's (and to a lesser extant the British Navy) doctrine was to combat the Big Red Navy in the open ocean. For the most part, that threat has abated.

The USN's focus now changes to the Littorals the coasts, bays, and riverine deltas.

You see evidence of this in where they USN operates and the ships designs that they are looking at.

The USN responds to where they believe the greatest threat to them comes from. Where do you think that threat to the USN is? Who or what presents the greatest challenge?

hrxll

[Edited on 8-12-03 by HerExcellency]

US military downsizing and re-structuring......

Personally, I prefer and am quite found of the period from the "Dreadnought" up to the end of WWII, when ship surface engagements were handled as duels and broadsides ruled the waves.

Today, naval wise, the greatest threat to the US Navy is one of two things:
* The continued build-up of the Chinese navy.
* and, the battle to "maintain" and keep what technological edge the US/UK navy does enjoy. This would obviously include the continued development of ships of the future....ie: CVN-X, DDX, LCS, etc.


regards
seekerof

I think the navy has 3 main purposes. To get nukes close to the enemy in the form of submarines. To transport soldiers and supplies to other continents to fight. To get aircraft to other continents to fight. All the ships either do this or support and protect the ones that do.

The days of the big battleships fighting it out are over. I doubt if 2 battleships would even see eachother before one or the other was destroyed by missiles or aircraft.