WHAT DOES “NAVAL DEPLOYMENT” MEAN?
The term “Naval deployment” indicates the military operation through which several ships travel together
to and from different regions, depending on the mission assigned.
There are different reasons why a Navy may deploy its ships:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
Patrol the world’s oceans
Supports allies (protocol visits, friendly visits and joint maneuvers)
Protection from aggressions from the sea and from piracy
Protection of nations or threatened interests
Affirmation of sovereignty
Intervention
Naval ships are meant to complete war-fighting and military tasks, but their presence may also be required
in public services, in order to co-operate and take part in civilian policy.
The Navy usually deploys ships such as aircraft carriers, cruisers and submarines.
HISTORY
Naval deployment is certainly a current issue, but it has been present also in the past, during the
Imperialism: the colonizing countries usually deployed a certain number of ships in order to occupy
territories and impose their sovereignty. Many ships were also used for trade exchanges.
Nowadays the political and military affairs are way more complex than they used to be, especially if we
consider the technological innovations (nuclear energy, electronics and new weapons systems) that
increase the capabilities of navies.
a) As far as the naval deployment in Asia is concerned, the countries which are mainly involved in the
problem are China and USA.
China needs to control the sea routes to have an easy access to the international markets of Europe
,Africa and America. The USA would like to create difficulties to this strong international
competitor.In 2009 the US Navy and Air Force introduced the “Air-Sea Battle” (ASB) concept in
order to counter China, whose growth in defense spending (according to The Washington Post, it
has increased to as much as $180 billion a year, or about one-third of the Pentagon’s budget) and
aggressive behaviour in the South China Sea have alarmed the US.
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/in-philippines-banana-growers-feel-effect-ofsouth-china-sea-dispute/2012/06/10/gJQA47WVTV_story.html this article deals with the dispute
between China and Philippines in the South China Sea).
The US government decided to modify the presence of the US navy in the world. 50 percent of the
US navy was kept in the Atlantic area,50 percent in the Pacific. Now 40 % will be in the Atlantic and
60% in the Pacific zone. In the meanwhile The People’s Republic of China inaugurated its first
aircraft carrier (China always has been a merely continental power) and increases its investments in
the defense system.
In the area of the China sea enormous quantities of gas and oil have been discovered and the direct
access to these vital raw materials can determinate the growth of the economy of the bordering
countries.
Moreover, China’s Hainan province currently adopted new regulations allowing local police to
board and expel foreign ships entering waters which are considered to be under Chinese
jurisdiction.
The ASB concept does not imply a battle plan, but it can be seen, as the journalist Sam Lagrone
says, as a “help desk for 21st Century welfare”.
In order to accomplish its mission, the US will deploy the 60% of its naval forces to the Asia-Pacific
region over the next decade, as the Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta declared during a security
conference held in Singapore last June.
The US also plan a backup missile defense system and this may lead China to modernize its nuclear
arsenal in order not to “reduce the credibility of its nuclear deterrence” (for more, see
http://stratrisks.com/geostrat/7004).
b) Other countries are involved, such as Japan and South Korea. There is a dispute among China, Japan
and South Korea regarding the Islands Senkaku/Diaoyu. Japan conquered these islands in 1895
after the first Sino-Japanese War and occupied Korea in 1905, after the Second World War, Japan
had to return the territories that had been conquered during the Imperialism, but they were never
given back. South Korea invaded the Islands in 1972, moved by the sense of revenge towards
Japan, and this complicated the whole situation even more.
China, on the other hand, claims Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands as part of its territory since 1534 and
never recognized Japan’s sovereignty, even though Japan bought the Islands in September 2012.
The whole area is close to key shipping lanes and rich fishing grounds, and there may be oil
reserves in the area. This may explain one of the main reasons of the dispute.
c) During her visit to Perth last November, Hillary Clinton declared that the “Pacific is big enough for
everyone” and that the cooperation between the US and China is crucial to the stability of the
Pacific. This means that the US is open to a debate with the countries involved.
IMPLICATIONS
The situation is delicate:
a) The diplomatic crisis could lead to dangerous armed conflicts and some of the countries involved
have nuclear weapons;
b) The deployment of ships provokes naval blockade and taking into account how important trade
exchanges are to China, it increases the tension;
WHICH ASPECTS SHOULD A DELEGATE TACKLE?
Given the importance of the issue and the barriers that prevent the countries involved from peacefully
cooperating, the delegate should propose solutions in order to ease off the tensions: the key element is
the debate, so all clauses proposing the communication between the interested parties are welcomed
and appreciated.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
If you are interested in more details, have a look at these websites:
www.globalresearch.ca
www.globalsecurity.org.cn
http://www.un.org/disarmament/HomePage/ODAPublications/DisarmamentStudySeries/PDF/SS16.pdf
www.stratrisks.com
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
http://work.chron.com/navy-during-deployments-9909.html
http://www.un.org/disarmament/HomePage/ODAPublications/DisarmamentStudySeries/PDF/SS-16.pdf
http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2012/06/navy-j04.html
http://stratrisks.com/geostrat/9944
http://www.globalresearch.ca/search?q=usa+naval+deployment+china
http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2012-11/14/content_15928878.htm
http://www.globalresearch.ca/confrontation-between-japan-and-china-naval-deployments-in-east-chinasea/5309442
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/spratly-maps.htm