ABSTRACT
Admiral. He was a major factor in shifting US naval strategy during the Cold War from the limited missions ‘swing strategy’ established during the presidency of Jimmy Carter to an offensive forward-deployed naval policy developed during the following administration of Ronald REAGAN. This new forward-deployed role was articulated in the Navy’s publication The Maritime Strategy. While CNO during the Reagan administration, Watkins actively supported the 600-ship Navy concept of Secretary of the Navy LEHMAN, a policy many believed to be instrumental in precipitating the collapse of the Soviet Union. Although the high point for the Navy during the period was 588 ships, its expanded role in the nation’s overall defence continued to be accepted in future administrations, even during periods of budget cuts.
