Naval Histoy Final

Sea Lines of Communication

Primary maritime routes between ports, used for trade, logistics and naval forces. Importance: naval operations ensure that SLOCs are open, or in times of war, close them in order to secure sea control.

Doolittle Raid

- April 1942 Pacific Theater; first US air raid to attack Japanese mainland; little tactical importance, but gave US hope; Yamamoto realizes he needs to eliminate US carriers

Billy Mitchell/bombing tests

- General with goal of an independent air force claiming that bombers could take over navy's role of coastal defense. Bombed Virginia Capes, sunk stationary Ostfriedland, but results contested because ship was unmanned and stationary, navy stands by battleships; tests unify navy and help push requirement of aircraft carrier

Flexible Response

- JFK plan to match USSR with proportional response for aggressive moves, nuclear force would be augmented by more conventional forces, particularly the Army and USMC, and even more emphasis on counter-insurgency to counter Khrushchev's support of "wars of national liberation;" problems were in yielded initiative to the enemy, assumed unlimited resources and attempt to defend everywhere because of symmetrical warfare, and created cycle of escalation

Strategic Defense Initiative

- Star Wars; 1983 Reagan program to create an anti-ballistic missile system to destroy potential enemy nuclear weapons; space laser

Limited War

- War where not all resources are directed to fighting; US didn't want China and Russia to enter if war escalated; US goal was to maintain status quo and there was no support in US for war

Dive Bomber

- an offensive potential of aircraft carriers and naval aviation; increased accuracy required for anti-ship bombing by reducing the altitude of a plane in order to drop an explosive before speeding off at a low altitude, as level bombing was ineffective against moving targets

USS Langley

- first aircraft carrier converted from the USS Jupiter; 34 aircraft capacity, arresting gear, Landing Signal Officer, Night Operations, aircraft launch and recovery techniques, deck parking innovations

High/Low Mix

- in order to accommodate decreasing budget, CNO Zumwalt wanted a mix of high (carriers, destroyers, boomers for multi-purposes) and low (escorts, frigates, coastal defense, small carriers) ships; high for power projection force, low for sea control force

Lend-Lease

1941; one of FDR's attempt to keep US neutral along with Cash and Carry, Destroyers for Bases, and Neutrality Patrols; America helping as much as possible short of declaring war and sending in troops

Truman Doctrine

1947 Containment; The US must protect free people resisting government pressure attempting to avoid communism; The US goes global with its policies

Asymmetrical Strategies

Employing strength against an enemy's weakness Although the U.S. Navy is the biggest Navy and a global force today, but global population and military power also increased, which make asymmetrical strategies like counter-terrorism useful.

Symmetrical Strategies

Engaging the enemy with the same type of force. It is important because many U.S. naval battles throughout the history were fought pound for pound, which led to consistent advance of weaponry and ships for more advantages.

Chokepoints

Geographical features such as a valley, a bridge, or a strait, which an armed force is forced to pass, sometimes on a substantially narrower front, and therefore greatly decreasing its combat power, in order to reach its objective. It is important because it can allow a numerically inferior defending force to successfully thwart a larger opponent if the attacker cannot bring superior numbers to bear.

"Wolfpack"

German U-boat tactic; single boats locate a convoy, not attack, but maintain contact; other subs directed to concentrate on convoy; attack with maximum strength

Strategic Level of War

Highest Level of war: Developing and employing armed forces and the other instruments of national power in a synchronized fashion to secure national objectives. Importance: the modern U.S. Navy is a global force that works across the world to enforce national policy and thus uses strategic level of war everyday.

"Tokyo Express"

Japanese push reinforcements into Guadalcanal to help take the airfield back from US marines, but brought troops by night in destroyers in piecemeal

Sea Denial

Neither country is able to use the sea for transport

Collective Security

Non-binding agreement to use military force; treaty ensuring that if one country is attacked or declares war on another country, other countries will declare war as well and back them up

Operational Level of War

Operational Level of war: Linking the tactical employment of forces to strategic objectives. Importance: the modern U.S. Navy employs its forces in operational level of war in order to obtain sea control and other objectives.

Tactical Level of War

Tactical Level of war: Employing units and weapons in combat. Importance: We are a nation at war, and the U.S. Navy plays a crucial role in combat at tactical level of war.

Unrestricted Sub Warfare

The German tactic for their vast submarine fleet; German U- boats attacked freighters and tankers without warning

Containment

US Strategy in the Cold War through economic warfare (Marshall plan), military deterrence of nuclear weapons, and political alliances (NATO); proposed by George Kennan's Long Telegram in 1947, claiming that difference between USSR and US irreconcilable and that USSR would collapse under the weight of its own contradictions, US just needed to contain it

War Plan Orange

US contingency plans for dealing with Japan and protecting the Philippines, should Japan act offensively against the US; Non-fortification clause prevented base in Buam, so US would have to seize Japanese bases; 40 year offensive development later replaced by Rainbow Plans; defend by building forward fleet and fortify the Philippines, reinforce by rushing the fleet to Manila (Thruster advocated), or attack step-by-step by seizing islands for bases (cautionaries advocated)

Marshall Plan

US gave $13 billion to European countries recovery efforts after WWII; attempt to counter the theory that economically struggling countries gave into communism

Blockade

Using naval forces to cut off supplies of critical material (usually food) in an effort to compel an adversary to surrender. It is importance because it stopped the Confederacy from importing the goods it desperately needed during Civil War.

Naval Arms Treaty 1922

Washington naval Conference; to stop arms race, reduce navies, and settle issues in the Western Pacific; Limited numbers of capital ships, placed a 10 year holiday on battleship construction (not on other classes), and limited the size of battleships and carriers. Non-fortification clause stated that no country could fortify islands in the Pacific; tried to outlaw subs, not ratified. Forced innovation (Lexington and Saratoga aircraft carriers), standardized cruisers, battleships, destroyers, and heavy cruisers, updated existing ships

Weinberger Doctrine

Weinberger/Powell Doctrine 6 steps to go to war; Before committing military forces to combat the U.S. should have: 1) Vital interests at stake 2) The intent to win by committing enough resources 3) Clearly defined military and political objectives, and a precise plan to accomplish them 4) Continual re-evaluation of our commitment 5) The support of the American people 6) Exhausted all other options 7) Use decisive force to achieve rapid victory with minimum casualties (Powell Corollary)

Total War

all resources put into fighting; people support government in desire for united, independent Vietnam, prepared to fight a long war, prepared to make sacrifices, people are adaptable, integrate diplomacy, propaganda, and irregular warfare effectively

Appeasement

allowing a country to do what it wants on the premise that it doesn't do it again; France and Britain do not want war, their militaries are not ready, do not understand Hitler, and don't believe that Germany really wants a war, hope that appeasement will meet German goals

Massive Retaliation

any soviet aggression would result in an overwhelming counterstrike; reliance on terror of large scale nuclear war as deterrence; negatives were no intermediate levels of escalation and no provision for a second strike

Amphibious Assault

attacking a defended beach; lessons from Civil War did not recommend Amphibious Assault, Gallipoli confirmed; War Plan Orange would require for seizing islands and bases; Culebra Amphibious exercise in 1924 showed USMC needed new equipment and tactics; Marines needed a way to separate from Army, landing crafts developed; Amphibious operation needed reconnaissance, detailed planning, fire support from air and surface vessels, command and control, lane marking, and shore and beach parties

Power Projection

capacity of military to rapidly and effectively deploy forces in multiple dispersed locations to respond to crises and to enhance regional stability. It is importance because it is a crucial element of a state's power in international relations.

Sea Control

employment of naval forces, supported by land, air, and other forces as appropriate, in order to achieve military objectives in vital sea areas. Sea control is the essence of seapower and is a necessary ingredient in the successful accomplishment of all naval missions.

Deterrence

military strategy, the maintenance of military power for the purpose of discouraging attack; flaunting the threat of US's nuclear weapons; increase funding for nuclear bombs, strategic air delivery systems, and air force, decreasing funding for conventional forces

Kamikaze

suicide bombers; logically thought out answers to fuel and pilot shortages faced by Japanese; statistically gave Japanese more hits per losses; Okinawa