WASHINGTON, Oct. 3 (UPI) -- The U.S. Navy is engaged in a year-long rewrite of its strategy and is reaching out to the public to help shape and push its vision for the future.
"Ninety percent of the worlds commerce flows by sea," Vice Adm. John Morgan, deputy chief of naval operations for information, plans and strategy, said Tuesday. "I think what we may discover is many Americans will begin to realize how important maritime security is," he said.
The "Maritime Strategy Symposia" will begin on Nov. 14 in Newport, R.I., according to Prof. John Jackson of the U.S. Naval War College there. At least seven other symposiums will take place through May 2007, in Phoenix, Atlanta, Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, New York, and in Philadelphia.
"They are looking for input from American citizens who may not have often thought about the role of maritime forces in the 21st century environment," Jackson told UPI.
The meetings are by invitation only and will include up to 250 people each time.
Morgan said the symposiums are not meant as a lobbying tool for the Navy.
"We're going to listen and learn," he said.
However, there is an ongoing struggle for resources within the Pentagon's large but nevertheless restricted budget, and funding follows relevance. As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continue, with most of the burden on the Army and Marine Corps, the Navy and Air Force are looking for ways to both highlight and increase their contribution to the war on terrorism. The symposiums may help on that front.
The changed global security environment is also compelling the Navy's first major strategy overhaul in 25 years. It began this summer and will continue until next summer. It will involve a series of war games that go beyond simulating traditional sea battles to model instead how the Navy reacts to a global pandemic, massive humanitarian crisis, or some other "alternative futures," Morgan said.
"I think our challenge today is far more complex," said Morgan. "What role does the Navy play in the new world order?"
