ABSTRACT
The dominant naval powers are the United States and the Soviet Union, since they are the only powers which have global capability and sustained global power projection. The Soviet Union also began to compete for power and influence in the Third World after the Suez Crisis, and gradually developed a permanent naval presence in the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean. The United States also developed a naval presence in the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean after the Suez Crisis in 1956 and the British decision to withdraw all naval forces "East of Suez." In support of their global forces, both the United States and the Soviet Union maintain worldwide systems of naval bases and port privileges, as they compete for power, and prosperity throughout the world. European countries have been significant suppliers of naval weaponry to the Third World. The Chinese Navy is clearly the largest naval force in Northeast Asia, the largest naval force in the Third World.
