Blue - water navy A blue - water navy is a maritime force capable of operating across the deep waters of open oceans . A term used in the United Kingdom to describe such a force is a navy possessing maritime expeditionary capabilities . While definitions of what actually constitutes such a force vary , there is a requirement for the ability to exercise sea control at wide ranges . The Defense Security Service of the United States has defined the blue - water navy as , " a maritime force capable of sustained operation across the deep waters of open oceans . A blue - water navy allows a country to project power far from the home country and usually includes one or more aircraft carriers . Smaller blue - water navies are able to dispatch fewer vessels abroad for shorter periods of time . " Attributes of a blue - water navy . Blue - water capability means that a fleet is able to operate on the high seas far from its home base . Some operate throughout the world . It implies force protection from sub - surface , surface and airborne threats and a sustainable logistic reach , allowing a persistent presence at range . A hallmark of a true blue - water navy is the ability to replenish at sea , and the commissioning of underway replenishment ships is a strong sign of a navy ' s blue - water ambitions . Despite the above however , there is no agreed definition of the term . In public discourse , blue - water capability is identified with the operation of iconic capital ships such as battleships and aircraft carrier s . For instance , during the debate in the 1970s whether Australia should replace HMAS " Melbourne " , a former Chief of Navy claimed that if Australia did not replace her last aircraft carrier , she " would no longer have a blue - water navy " . In the end Australia did not buy a new carrier , but former Parliamentary defence advisor Gary Brown could still claim in 2004 that her navy remained " an effective blue - water force " . The Soviet Navy towards the end of the Cold War is another example of a blue - water navy that had minimal carrier aviation , relying instead on submarines , missile - carrying surface ships , and long - range bombers based on land . While traditionally a distinction was made between the coastal brown - water navy ( operating in the littoral zone to 200 nautical miles / 370 kilometres ) and a seagoing blue - water navy , the new term " green - water navy " has been created by the U . S . Navy . Green - water navy appears to be equivalent to a brown - water navy in older sources . The term " brown - water navy " appears to have been altered in U . S . Navy parlance to a riverine force . The term " blue - water navy " should not be confused with the capability of an individual ship . For example , vessels of a green - water navy can often operate in blue water for short periods of time . A number of nations have extensive maritime assets but lack the capability to maintain the required sustainable logistic reach . Some of them join coalition task groups in blue - water deployments such as anti - piracy patrols off Somalia . While a blue - water navy can project sea control power into another nation ' s littoral , it remains susceptible to threats from less capable forces . Maintenance and logistics at range yield high costs , and there might be a saturation advantage over a deployed force through the use of land - based air or surface - to - surface missile assets , diesel - electric submarines , or asymmetric tactics such as Fast Inshore Attack Craft . An example of this vulnerability was the October 2000 USS " Cole " bombing in Aden . Countries described as having blue - water navies . These are navies that have successfully used the capabilities of their blue - water navies to exercise control on the high seas and from there have projected power into other nations ' littoral waters . France . The French Navy has the ability to deploy an aircraft - carrier - based task group and the amphibious assault capability is provided by the " Mistral " - class amphibious assault ships . Other vessels include 10 nuclear submarines , frigate s , patrol boat s and support ships . Its roles include the protection of French interests abroad and the maintenance of global stability , as such France has a wide range of naval deployments throughout the world . United Kingdom . The Royal Navy supports a number of standing commitments worldwide on a continuous basis and maintains one expeditionary task force ( known as Response Force Task Group ) based around a number of amphibious warfare ship s , frigate s , guided - missile destroyer s , nuclear - powered fleet submarines and auxiliary ships . At present there is no fixed - wing carrier strike force following the retirement of the Harrier in 2010 , and the fleets last remaining aircraft carrier , HMS " Illustrious " , is now being operated as an amphibious assault ship or simply , a helicopter carrier . The Royal Navy Submarine Service operates four nuclear - powered ballistic missile submarines ( maintaining the UK nuclear deterrent ) and seven nuclear - powered fleet submarines , operating globally . The Royal Navy has shown many examples of its expeditionary capabilities , including during the Falklands war in 1982 and more recently during Operation Telic ( 2003 invasion of Iraq ) . United States . The United States Navy maintains ten Carrier Strike Group s ( centered on " Nimitz " - class carriers ) , of which six are deployed or ready for deployment within 30 days , and two ready for deployment within 90 days under the Fleet Response Plan ( FRP ) . It also maintains a continuous deployment of twelve Expeditionary Strike Group s that embark a Marine Expeditionary Unit with an Aviation Combat Element of Landing Helicopter Dock s and Landing Helicopter Assault . The US Navy has seen several examples of blue - water combat capabilities from the Korean War to Operation Enduring Freedom and has ability to project force onto the littoral regions of the world , engage in forward areas during peacetime , and rapidly respond to regional crises , Countries described as having potential blue - water navies . Few countries can operate blue - water navies , but " many States are converting green - water navies to blue - water navies and this will increase military use of foreign Exclusive Economic Zones littoral zone to 200 nautical miles ( 370 km ) with possible repercussions for the EEZ regime . " Presently China , India , Japan , Russia and South Korea have stated their intentions towards developing blue - water capabilities . China . In 2008 the BBC reported that a senior Chinese defence official ( Major General Qian Lihua ) confirmed China was to operate a small fleet of aircraft carriers . However , it was said to be for the purpose of regional defence as opposed to " global reach " . A report in late 2012 by the United States has outlined China ' s recent naval modernization efforts and intentions of developing blue - water capabilities . The report suggested that while China is developing a blue - water navy , it will be more regional in nature rather than global . Chinese strategists call this “ a regional [ blue - water ] defensive and offensive navy . " PLA officials have outlined plans to operate in the First and Second island chains . India . The Indian Navy has publicly stated its intentions to develop blue - water capabilities under the ' Maritime Capabilities Perspective Plan ' . Rapid economic growth in the last decade enabled higher allocations to defence expenditure , particularly to the navy , which saw a huge expansion to fulfill the political goal of operating a blue - water fleet and dominating the Indian Ocean . By the year 2020 , the Indian navy plans to operate around three carrier battle group s - with one carrier on its western seaboard , one on its eastern seaboard and the third undergoing an overhaul , maintenance , training or refit . It is also acquiring long - range naval aviation and a strategic submarine fleet . In recent years the Indian Navy has increased its presence from the Persian Gulf to the Horn of Africa and the Strait of Malacca , on security missions such as anti - piracy and partnership building with other navies . Japan . The role of the JMSDF was almost restricted to protection their homeland and home waters in the early days . But in 1981 , Prime Minister Zenkō Suzuki put forward a new doctrine requiring the JMSDF to expand its operations 1 , 000 miles SLOCs defense . To respond this requirement , the JMSDF deployed approximately 100 P - 3Cs and four " new eight - eight " flotillas apart from five frigate divisions served for the green - water naval mission . These flotillas consisted of eight destroyers and eight Sea king ( later SH - 60J / Ks ) anti - submarine helicopters . And now , every four flotillas each have two guided missile destroyer s ( and at least one of them is equipped with Aegis Weapon System ) , two of flotillas each have one with flat flight deck , and the rest two flotillas have planned to have each one 19000t class destroyer with enhanced aviation operating capabilities . But the ocean - going capability of the JMSDF was still insufficient outside of the Pacific Ocean . In the 2000s , this problem caught the attention of high administration officials with the rising of the War on Terror , and the JMSDF caught the second opportunity to expand its capacities as a “ blue - water navy ” . From 2001 to 2010 , the JMSDF dispatch one or two destroyers and one fast combat support ship in rotation to participate in the Combined Task Force 150 . And from 2009 , with the threat of the Piracy in Somalia , the Japanese government added another task force in the Indian Ocean . The maritime component ( DSPE ) consists of two destroyers with SH - 60 helicopters , and the air component ( DAPE ) is a joint task force and consists of a detachment with P - 3Cs from the JMSDF and a garrison unit from the JGSDF . The DAPE bases itself next to Djibouti - Ambouli International Airport , and this is the first postwar overseas military base of Japan . Russia . The Cold War era Soviet Navy maintained naval forces able to rival those of the United States Navy , however , after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 the fleet experienced a severe decline due to lack of funding . In 2012 , President Vladimir Putin announced an increase in spending to the Russian Navy as part of a long - term intention to recreate a blue - water navy . One analyst has mentioned that as opposed to the Cold War era and the dominance of Atlantic and North Sea operations , Russia ' s strategic emphasis has shifted towards the Pacific regions where a rising China and a US shift in policy from the Atlantic to the Pacific are potential threats . In January 2013 the Russian defence ministry announced it would stage the largest naval war exercises for the Russian Navy since the collapse of the Soviet Union . They were held in the Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea . Ships from as far away as the Russian Pacific Fleet also took part . In 1995 , the then Naval chief , Admiral An Pyongtae , set out the initial stages of developing the ROK Navy into a blue - water navy . This was later followed up by President Kim Dae - jung in 2001 , when it was announced that plans would be put in place to build a " Strategic Mobile Fleet " . The plan includes the construction of up to four Dokdo class amphibious assault ship s . In 2011 , Government authorised the building of a naval base on Jeju Island to support these new ships , the base will be capable of supporting joint forces with the US Navy .