... From the Sea coming home

POST: A Bold New Idea For a Naval Humanitarian Force, Information Dissemination, January 2, 2008

ARTICLE: A Great White Fleet for the 21st Century, By David K. Richardson, Lane V. Packwood, and Daniel E. Aldana, Proceedings, January 2008 (free registration required)

Worth the read, and note the footnotes [on Proceedings piece].

There is a cluster of admirals who moved the Navy in this direction and they're all highly linked inter-personally: Gary Roughead (former PACFLT and now Chief of Naval Ops), Harry Ulrich (just retired, last position was NATO naval head), Mike Mullen (former CNO, now Chairman), and John Morgan (now N3/5, or head of Navy policy).

Obviously, I couldn't be happier to see this sort of thinking emerge. ... From the Sea finally coming home.

Comments

[Louis Heberlein]

Didn't The Great White Fleet provoke Japan and become a factor in Japan's provocative foreign policy toward the West?

Much earlier (1640-1853), the Dutch Learning or rangaku experience of the Japanese caused their leaders to begin to value Western skills and methods, while fearing the bearers of those 'gifts.'

The Dutch were then in militarized trade and colonial competition with England. It probably carried over in their 'lessons' for Japanese. Some Japanese thinkers and leaders expected the English colonies would be a threat. When America expanded to the West Coast, and then TR started to globalize our foreign and economic policies, Japan's thinkers and leaders saw us as at least a rough competitor, and at worst a grim concern.

When TR sent the White Fleet admiral to Japan to Open Its Doors it had a negative as well as positive impact there.

I agree that we should reach out socially and culturally as well as politically to the New Core and Gap countries, and the Navy seems to be an very good agent for such efforts. However, it would be stupid to not review earlier examples of unintended consequences of disruptive change. This time we need more eyes and ears on the ground monitoring the people rather than just the 'cooperative' elite.

[Galrahn]

I am less worried about what Louis is referring to, mostly because the US Navy has already conducted three of these missions in the last 18 months with measurable results.

The first thing I thought when I read the proposal was that while we would like to focus on the South Pacific, I could see China desire to try it someplace like South America, and a political phobia consume the offer preventing it from happening.

It will take the right kind of political leadership to get something like this proposal done. I'm not sure if the US, or a nation like China, has that kind of political leadership today.

[Louis Heberlein]

At the time TR sent out his Great White Fleet our politicians, press and public only saw the near term wonderful side. They were unaware of, or ignored, the anxious perceptions in Japan that had been building since the rangaku period. So we should watch the full scope of reactions of other people to our initiatives ... even when we have good intentions. Remember Pearl Harbor?

[Daniel E. Aldana]

Appreciate all the comments. They are thoughtful and valid. The principal idea behind our article is that we must continue pushing our military towards developing operational capabilities beyond the kinetic. Expanding our ability to deliver humanitarian assistance, for example, will likely go far in aiding other nations prevent greater losses and build America's credibility over the long-term. This in turn should foster a more cooperative global environment. That said, its still not the perfect solution and insufficient to truly start resolving some of the fundamental problems associated with rising global instability. Nonetheless, we hope its a step in the right direction.