From international economics comes the need to transit the oceans safely and predictably. Some scholars have also argued that it is not only great maritime powers that possess sea power instead “Sea power is a relative concept, and nearly all countries have a degree of sea power, only different in terms of degree.” David Gompert has argued that “Sea power is the product of economics, politics, technology, and geography: necessitated by economics, textured by politics, enabled by technology, and shaped by geography. It includes for each of us the use of the seas - to preserve marine resources, to ensure the safe transit and passage of cargoes and people on its waters, to protect its maritime borders from intrusion, to uphold its maritime sovereignty, to rescue the distressed who ply the oceans in ships, and to prevent misuse of the oceans.” Collins, former Commandant of the US Coast Guard, pointed out that, “Sea power in the 21st century is the ability of a nation to use the seas safely, securely, fully, and wisely to achieve national objectives… 21st century maritime power speaks to nations’ needs beyond the purely military capabilities needed for warfighting. The extensive definition of sea power must include all factors of the relationship between the state and the sea.” Admiral Thomas H. People now realize that, “In the 21st century, it is not enough to focus sea power only on the navy and naval forces, because the nature and scope of threats have changed. In the new century, non-traditional security challenges have become increasingly prominent. Geoffrey Till argued that sea power consists of the navy, coast guards, marine corps, and civil maritime sectors along with ground and air support forces, and it is the sea-based capacity to make use of the oceans, direct others’ activities from the sea or at sea, and thus influence the situation at sea or on the land. Tangredi pointed out that sea power can be defined as the sum of the abilities to conduct international maritime business, utilize marine resources, project military force, and exert influence on onshore affairs from the sea by means of the navy. Koburger argued that sea power is the military capability to affect maritime affairs and to influence onshore affairs from the sea. Scholars after Mahan have viewed sea power from an increasingly broader perspective. It is generally believed that the sea power Mahan proposed has two aspects: in the narrow sense, to achieve control of the seas through various kinds of advantageous forces in a broader sense, not only the military power to dominate the sea by force, but also other marine elements that are closely relevant to the maintenance of a country’s economic prosperity. Only when a strong navy is matched with appropriate strategies can sea power be finally achieved. The US naval strategist Alfred Thayer Mahan, who formulated an influential concept of sea power, believed that sea power was the product of naval strategy, with different strategies determining the characteristics of a navy. People’s understanding of sea power has evolved with the trends of the times, as well as scientific and technological development. There has not been authoritative definition of sea power since the concept came into being. In the 21st century, influenced by globalization, scientific and technological innovation and the rapid rise of China’s maritime forces, a new debate over sea power and subsequently a new understanding of it has emerged in the United States, leading to adjustments of relevant strategies and policies, which will have far-reaching influences on the regional and international security situation.Ĭoncept and Two Major Theories of Sea Power in the West It serves as a major pillar for the global hegemony of the United States, where the sea power theory was originated. Sea power is the basic and decisive factor in traditional maritime security.
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