Guest writer

Being there matters

Making the case for a strong Navy

When I moved to Northwest Arkansas, my new neighbors gave a warm welcome, and some were kind enough to inquire: Would a career Navy man feel at home away from the blue water?

My answer was a solid yes because I still serve in the Navy’s Reserve component, and I see the Navy’s presence in Arkansas wherever I look.

I have had the privilege to meet many retired and prior service men and women who have decided to make Arkansas their home. The amenities of the state provide a strong attraction for individuals who have served so selflessly and see the spirit of community service so strong. These individuals who represent the cloth of our nation see the many possibilities of what Arkansas offers.

A closer look at the state’s commerce profile reveals some interesting facts that tie directly to the Navy. In 2011, Arkansas exported products valued at $5.2 billion while importing billions more, and the vast majority of those goods traveled by water. Thefact that more than 90 percent of the world’s commerce travels by sea is an important reminder that the Navy’s presence is a clear and required element of our national security strategy. The fact that our state is so deeply engaged in global commerce illustrates this point.

Global commerce is feasible because America’s Navy is there, patrolling what is essentially the world’s interstate ocean highway system, ensuring the free flow of global trade and, in turn, preserving America’s economic prosperity.

Maintaining a strong Navy is a significant investment, but it is also a very prudent and sound one-one that provides a valuable return in terms of protecting our nation’s security, prosperity and the American way of life.

Navy ships, submarines, aircraft and, most importantly, tens of thousands of America’s finest young men and women are deployed around the world to protect and defend our nation. They are there now. They will be there when we are sleeping tonight. They will be there every Saturday, Sunday and holiday this year. They are there around the clock, far from our shores, defending America at all times.

That they are there is critically important because, as in virtually any global endeavor, being there matters. It matters in business: It is why American firms maintain a presence in their overseas markets. It matters in politics: It is why the State Department maintains a diplomatic contingent in nearly every other nation on earth. It certainly matters to our national defense: It is why U.S. forces are stationed around the world.

More than 70 percent of our planet is covered by water, so being there means having the ability to act from the sea. The Navy is uniquely positioned to be there; the world’s oceans give the Navy the power to protectAmerica’s interests anywhere, and at any time.

When America’s national security is threatened by the existence of an adversary on the other side of the world, being there matters. Where these threats exist, chances are high that Navy ships, submarines, aircraft and special forces are very close by, with the ability to mitigate the threat, even if the threat is hundreds of miles inland.

When the decision is made to act on one of these threats, the solution may involve launching attack jets or unmanned aircraft from aircraft carriers, firing cruise missiles from ships or submarines, or inserting a team of Navy SEALs to do what only Navy SEALs can do.

The Navy can do all of thesethings, and do them all from the sea, without the need to get another country’s permission to operate within its borders.

When piracy threatens innocent lives and disrupts shipping traffic in the Indian Ocean,when rogue nations threaten to deny access to vital Middle East waterways through which much of the world’s oil is shipped, being there matters.

Following a humanitarian crisis, like the devastating tsunami that struck northern Japan in 2011 or the earthquake which ravaged Haiti in 2010, being there matters. Because the Navy is always deployed around the world, it can provide nearly immediate humanitarian relief in the wake of a disaster, ferrying supplies, medicine and trained medical personnel ashore from Navy ships via helicopters and landing craft.

When narcotics traffickers use speedboats and rudimentary submarines to ferry illegal drugs across the oceans and into America, being there matters. Navy ships and submarines work the waters near Central and South America with law enforcement agencies to intercept shipments of illegal narcotics before they reach our shores.

As the world’s geopolitical and economic climates continue to evolve, the case for America maintaining a strong Navy grows. Indeed, the president’s national security strategy calls for a renewed focus on enduring threats in the Middle East region, as well as an increased American commitment in the Asia-Pacific region-a vast, mostly ocean-covered area of the world ideally suited for operations from the sea and in which the Navy maintains a robust presence.

When it comes to protecting and defending America, being there matters. And America’s Navy is already there.

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Rear Adm. Luke M. McCollum of Bentonville is currently assigned as reserve deputy director of Maritime Headquarters, U.S. Fleet Forces Command in Norfolk, Va.

Editorial, Pages 17 on 06/29/2013

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