Properly positioned forces, in conjunction with clearly articulated policy and demonstrated commitment, help prevent power vacuums and reduce the temptation for regional powers to prey on weaker neighbors. As our overseas base structure shrinks, maritime forces will shoulder an increasing portion of the forward presence burden. They serve as a diplomatic rheostat which allows our country's leaders to turn up the heat or withdraw once the situation returns to normal. Moreover, as long as control of the seas is maintained, maritime forces will have the inherent advantage of assured access to the littorals without having to rely on sometimes politically difficult overflight or basing rights. Short of war, forward presence is as much an element of statecraft as military strategy.
Maritime presence takes many forms.
Navy port visits promote American ideals, encourage democratic trends, and signal commitment to friends. As has been amply demonstrated in northern Iraq, Bangladesh, and Somalia, naval forces can provide disaster relief and humanitarian assistance. Finally, when called upon, naval forces can generate precise and lethal power from the sea to achieve our nation's objectives. Naval forces can quietly monitor budding crisis situations from over the horizon or make themselves selectively visible and menacing to hostile regimes. Freedom and control of the seas provide the option of not only positioning naval forces where they are strategically needed, but of moving to other crisis locations on ambiguous warning if the need arises.