The History of Naval Wars

When two enemies separated by the vast amount of water are engaged in war, the sea is used to accrue the strategic advantages which include maneuverability, searching for favorable grounds, and resource movement from distant lands. It is with these tactical merits that any wise army commander will gain dominance in the sea over their enemies; since the dawn of civilization, human beings have realized this and have developed more and more complex vessels, equipment’s, and weapons to ensure they maintain the advantages. Among the resources available for a study into how sea power has influenced states and world authorities, an article and a book will be reviewed.

The Naval War of 1812 Theodore Roosevelt Book Review

In the year 1881, Theodore Roosevelt (an avid Navy Promoter) penned down one of the most significant and detailed depictions of the naval war that took place in the year 1812. The core principle predominant all over the book is the social and political climate that eventually led to the fighting between Great Britain and America. Consequently, it also delves into the analysis of the strategic decisions made within the period of engagement, and the strengths and weaknesses each side showed. In the book, Roosevelt concludes that even though the Americans won in the battle, it did nothing in decimating England’s arsenal.

The battle began with an advantage over the Americans whereby the British had a large fleet and sailors; however, as the war pushed on, the former used their resourcefulness to drive them back. The successes of the campaign saw the United States win the Battle of Lake Erie, and lessening the attacks by British soldiers on the western side of New York. The Navy battle of 1881 was the first stepping stone to a decline in Britain’s hold on America and consequently losing the naval war fight. In his book, Roosevelt notes that the battle’s effect was not so much the decimation of the colonialist’s fleets, but the confidence that the army gained that enabled them to fight against all the odds and win the war. However, the author accuses the sitting president at the time, Thomas Jefferson for being unprepared at the start of the conflict but points out that both sides had their fortes and flaws. The work by Roosevelt is widely acclaimed for bringing some significant changes to the navy, resulting in a stronger navy that projected America as a force to be reckoned with and, consequently, pace-setting its rise to be a superpower.

The study is important to me as it shows the correlation between the development of naval power with the economic gain it brings to the country adopting it. It, therefore, justifies its existence not only through strategic defense and offense tactics but also consolidates the local and international trade and monetary value for the country owning the fleet. This would help in explaining why civilizations that excelled in seafarings like the Macedonians, Romans, and Greece became dominant in their era than the surrounding nations.

The historical battle between England and America as depicted in the book is essential for people to understand that superiority in naval warfare does not necessarily lead to victory, but for any nation that wants to dominate the world’s economic and military expansion, it is one of the pillars that is essential for domination.

How the United States Lost the Naval War of 2015

In one of the most revered strategy book Art of War by Sun Tzu, “The absolute art of war is to pacify the adversary without combat.” This is a quote can be found that sums some of the most wars between two powerful nations that fear open war due to the effect it would have and yet don’t want to back down so that they may not appear weak. That is until recently, according to James Kraska in his article How the United States Lost the Naval War to China. In the article, an examination of the history of the two nations that culminated in the sinking of one of the aircraft carriers has been attributed to a decline in Maritime superiority for the former.For seven decades and a half, America has been the dominant power over the oceans, but in recent years China has been scoring double digits on its economy and advancing its naval arsenal. The rise in the latter and the decline of the former’s economy has resulted in China becoming bolder in its actions. Other factors leading to a drop in the naval efficiency include political, strategic and diplomatic missteps; this is the battle as depicted in The Art of War whereby decisions made in boardrooms and market rise or fall in the stock market result in a win in the seafront without a bullet ever being fired. Furthermore, the sinking of the American USS George Washington Carrier in 2015 without any repercussion, China has proven that they are the dominant nation.The article has helped me understand that any war that for any nation to maintain power, (whether historical or modern), its naval forces must be unsurpassed in their abilities.Contrary to past wars, modern warfare utilizes strategies in all wars in all spheres of societal interactions. For a country to maintain superiority in the world arena, it must ensure that growth in economic sectors, and preserving good relations with other countries should be accompanied by developing and researching on ways to beat their opponents in the sea battle.

Work Cited

Kraska, James. “How the United States Lost the Naval War of 2015.” Orbis 54.1 (2010): 35-45.

Roosevelt, Theodore. The naval war of 1812. G.P. Putnam’s sons, 2015.