CHAPTER TWELVE THE NAVAL SERVICE Ninety percent of the world's commerce travels by sea; the vast majority of the world's population lives within a few hundred miles of the oceans; nearly three quarters of the planet is covered by water. Seapower protects the American way of life. -A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower Every danger of a military character to which the United States is exposed can be met best outside her own territory-at sea. -Rear Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan n 2007 the U.S. Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy issued A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower, representing the first time the three services I jointly crafted a maritime strategy. The document stresses the naval services' mutual commitment to protecting the homeland and winning and preventing wars. Proliferation of weapons and information technology to transnational threats and rogue states poses an increasing range of threats to U.S. security interests. In addition to threats from kinetic weapons, hybrid warfare threats (e.g., financial, cyber) pose new challenges for the sea services, demanding a coordinated strategy and response. To better understand how responsibility for security in the maritime domain is shared among the sea services, this chapter describes organization, mis­ sion, and capabilities of each. 157 158 Naval Officer's Guide The Department of the Navy The Department of the Navy (DON) is to "be organized, trained, and equipped primarily for prompt and sustained combat incident to operations at sea'' (Navy Regulations art. 0202). The National Security Act of i947, as amended in i949, gov­ erns the role of the Navy in national defense. The Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of i986 streamlined the operational chain of com­ mand and provided detailed descriptions of the roles of the Secretary of the Navy, the CNO, and the Commandant of the Marine Corps (CMC). Composition of the Department of the Navy. The composition of DON, as set forth in Title 10, U.S. Code (USC), includes the following: • The Office of the Secretary of the Navy • The Office of the Chief of Naval Operations • The Headquarters, Marine Corps • The entire operating forces, including naval aviation, of the Navy and of the Marine Corps, and the reserve components of those operating forces • All field activities, headquarters, forces, bases, installations, activities, and functions under the control or supervision of the Secretary of the Navy • The Coast Guard when it is operating as a service in the Navy Composition and Functions of the Navy. As defined in Title 10, USC: (a) The Navy, within the Department of the Navy, includes, in general, naval combat and service forces and such aviation as may be organic therein. The Navy shall be organized, trained, and equipped primarily for prompt and sustained combat incident to operations at sea. It is responsible for the preparation of naval forces necessary for the effective prosecution of war except as otherwise assigned and, in accordance with integrated joint mobilization plans, for the expansion of the peacetime components of the Navy to meet the needs of war. (b) The naval combat forces of the Navy shall include not less than 11 oper­ ational aircraft carriers. For purposes of this subsection, an operational aircraft carrier includes an aircraft carrier that is temporarily unavailable for worldwide deployment due to routine or scheduled maintenance or repair. (c) All naval aviation shall be integrated with the naval service as part thereof within the Department of the Navy. Naval aviation consists of combat and service and training forces, and includes land-based naval aviation, air transport essential for naval operations, all air weapons and air tech- The Naval Service 159 niques involved in the operations and activities of the Navy, and the entire remainder of the aeronautical organization of the Navy; together with the personnel necessary therefore. (d) The Navy shall develop aircraft, weapons, tactics, techniques, organiza­ tion, and equipment of naval combat and service elements. Matters of joint concern as to these functions shall be coordinated between the Army, the Air Force, and the Navy. Composition and Functions of the Marine Corps. As defined in Title 10, USC: (a) The Marine Corps, within the Department of the Navy, shall be so orga­ nized as to include not less than three combat divisions and three air wings and such other land combat, aviation, and other services as may be organic therein. The Marine Corps shall be organized, trained, and equipped to provide fleet marine forces of combined arms, together with supporting air components, for service with the fleet in the seizure or defense of advanced naval bases and for the conduct of such land opera­ tions as may be essential to the prosecution of a naval campaign. In addi­ tion, the Marine Corps shall provide detachments and organizations for service on armed vessels of the Navy, shall provide security detachments for the protection of naval property at naval stations and bases, and shall perform such other duties as the President may direct. However, these additional duties may not detract from or interfere with the operations for which the Marine Corps is primarily organized. (b) The Marine Corps shall develop, in coordination with the Army and the Air Force, those phases of amphibious operations that pertain to the tac­ tics, techniques, and equipment used by landing forces. (c) The Marine Corps is responsible, in accordance with integrated joint mobilization plans, for the expansion of peacetime components of the Marine Corps to meet the needs of war. History The government of the United States if founded upon a single document, the Constitution. The Constitution contains provisions for governing the armed forces that have not changed since the document was written. The Congress, under the powers granted to it by the Constitution, has passed many laws forming and regulating the Navy. In turn, the Secretary of the Navy has approved regulations and orders giving detail to these regulations. 160 Naval Officers Guide In 1798, Navy Regulations provided for the establishment "at the seat of the gov­ ernment an executive known as the Department of the Navy, and a Secretary of the Navy, who shall be the head thereof." A board of naval commissioners, with three members, was created by an act of 7February1815. On 31 August 1842, the "bureau system'' was established by Congress. The congressional acts of n July 1890, 3 March 1891, and 20 June 1940 provided an under secretary and an assistant secretary. On 3 March 1915, the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations was provided for by an act of Congress. On 12 July 1921, Congress created the Bureau of Aeronautics, and on 24 June 1926, Congress authorized the Assistant Secretary for Air. By 1942, Navy Regulations read as follows: The business of the Department of the Navy not specifically assigned by law shall be distributed in such manner as the Secretary of the Navy shall judge to be expedient and proper among the following bureaus: First, a Bureau of Yards and Docks Second, a Bureau of Naval Personnel Third, a Bureau of Ordnance Fouth, a Bureau of Ships Fifth, a Bureau of Supplies and Accounts Sixth, a Bureau of Medicine and Surgery Seventh, a Bureau of Aeronautics The National Security Act established the DoD in 1949 as an executive depart­ ment of the government to include the military departments of the Army; Navy, and Air Force. The Secretary of the Navy was demoted to subcabinet rank. The titles of these positions have changed over the years, and various bureaus have been retitled as commands. Congress and the Department of the Navy Of the three branches of government, the legislative branch has the sole power to appropriate funds. From this and from the constitutional responsibility to "raise armies and navies:' Congress derives the power to determine the nature of the Navy and Marine Corps and the amount of money used to purchase and oper­ ate ships and weapons and to pay personnel. Both the Senate and the House have committees on armed forces. These committees hold annual hearings for the pur­ pose of authorizing ships and weapons. The appropriations committees of both The Naval Service 161 houses then appropriate money for ship and weapon construction and additional funds for supplies, pay, and other support. The Navy Department has a Chief of Legislative Affairs and an office in the House and the Senate to provide rapid liaison with the committees and mem - bers. Members of Congress, by the Department of the Navy or by other offices of DoD, may originate proposals for legislation. Wherever proposals originate, they are referred to appropriation committees of the Congress for hearing and further processing. Titles 10 and 37 of the USC, which are widely available on the Internet (see appendix E, Sources), contain most of the laws affecting the Navy. Organization of the Department of the Navy The Department of the Navy is unique within DoD because it includes two sepa­ rate services, the Navy and the Marine Corps, each with its own distinct, although interrelated, mission and chain of command (see figure 12-1). Secretary of the Navy I Commandant of the Chief of Naval Operations Marine Corps I I Shore Establishment Operating Forces Operating Forces Figure 12-1 Navy Organization Organization of the Secretariat. The Secretary of the Navy (figure 12-2) is over­ all in charge of construction, manning, armament, equipment, and maintenance of all vessels and aircraft and performs other duties as assigned by the Secretary of Defense. The Secretary of the Navy has direct cognizance over all officer and enlisted personnel and public and legislative relations and is assisted by the Under Secretary.