ABSTRACT
This conclusion provides some closing thoughts on key ideas discussed in this book. The book analyzes the evolution of US Navy strategy and American sea power over the course of three decades as framed by major Navy capstone documents. To arrive at a more nuanced understanding of the concepts involved, it discusses the relationship between seapower and sea power, the political and military uses of the sea, relevant theory, and the links between different levels of strategy, naval missions, and some particular contexts of the maritime domain which guide formulation of naval and maritime strategy. The analysis also showed the intimate relationship among strategy, planning, and force structure. Institutionally, there are a number of actors that make, as well as factors shaping, the constitution of American seapower and, by implication, statements of strategic quality and intent. The President, Congress, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (and its Chairman), the Secretary of Defense, and the regional and functional military commanders all matter.
