American naval policy, strategy, plans, and operations in the second decade of the twenty-fi rst century

Overview This chapter seeks to explain broadly U.S. Navy policy, strategy, plans, and operations in the second decade of the twenty-fi rst century. 2 It does so by discussing some basic fundamentals, and then the Navy’s three major operational activities: peacetime engagement, crisis response, and wartime combat. For each activity, it describes the Navy’s ends, ways, and means. 3

The approach taken is deliberately specifi c, that is, it tries to present the actual application of concepts rather than just discussing the concepts themselves. While concepts are important, true understanding of the uses of naval power requires some explanation of actual operations, organizations, and systems.