ABSTRACT
The national strategy of the United States has two aspects: to deter war and, should war come, to seek war termination on favorable terms. Those who argue maritime forces are overemphasized or irrelevant base their claims on the belief that the navy and maritime operations will have little direct impact on a Soviet decision to initiate war on the Central Front. The concept of deterrence is well recognized in the United States. Soviet pre-hostilities blindness to the importance of navies may mean the United States Navy will be relevant to war termination even if it is irrelevant to deterrence. Of greater importance, eliminating the Soviet fleet opens the way for the United States to take military action that will provide war termination leverage. Some critics who might be prepared to accept the potential relevance of maritime war termination leverage still conclude that the United States cannot afford the type of navy such leverage requires.
