ABSTRACT
This chapter examines ideas relating to new technology and new techniques in naval warfare, before exploring the impact of these on the policies adopted by a number of navies. One of the features of the contemporary environment is the speed with which new technologies are devised, developed and then integrated into combat systems. This poses obvious problems for navies that must adjust to new challenges. Naval activity may be threatened or enabled by new technology and also by more innovative use of older systems. The danger posed by the proliferation of ballistic missile technology and the additional fear that such missiles might be used to deliver weapons of mass destructions, has prompted a growing interest in the use of navies in support of ballistic missile defence. US naval policy is built upon an understanding that US security depends on their maintaining a world role and that access to the global commons is critical to this.
