ABSTRACT
Non-offensive defence (NOD) at sea was given virtually no attention in official circles in the 1980s. The prospects for making progress in NOD at sea is therefore mixed. However, as the world strategic focus shifts from the old East-West confrontation to a variety of North-South issues, the naval dimension should become more salient. The old Soviet Navy had rather restricted capabilities on a global scale; for the most part it was able only to operate a sea denial strategy, and under Gorbachev it was progressively withdrawn from the high seas, and many construction programmes were slowed down. In the 1980s, the agenda in naval developments was in important respects set by the US Navy's "Maritime Strategy". The general aim of Third World naval commanders is to update their modest defence capabilities. The modernization of naval forces threatens to complicate the planning of the traditional naval powers.
