Seapower in the 21st Century RADM Sean Buck Seapower in the 21st Century

Strategic Environment and Implications “2018 – Year of the Americas” – President Donald J. Trump “We have a deep and abiding commitment to reinfocing the rules- based international order.” – The Honorable James Mattis, Secretary of Defense (2017) Regional maritime security ensures global prosperity Sea Power Protects/Assures Interests, Citizens, Allies, and Partners You do not have to be a big Navy – to make a BIG difference “By working together with allies and partners we amass the greatest possible strength for the long-term advancement of our interests.” - Summary of the 2018 U.S. National Defense Strategy *From a US prospective we see ourselves in a re-emergent global Great Power Competition with Russia and China.   *It is increasingly apparent that these two nations want to shape a world consistent with their authoritarian values and in the process, coopt or replace the free and open order that has enabled global security and prosperity since WWII. They desire to gain “Veto Authority” over other nations’ economic, diplomatic, and security decisions. *Last December, my President declared very proudly and with conviction that 2018 is to be the “Year of the Americas”. As you know, he, my Vice President, my SecDef, my SecNav, and both of my Naval Leaders, the CNO and the Commandant of the Marine Corps, as well as ADM Tidd will have visited and spent time here in Latin America this year to affirm our commitment to you for economic and military security for all. *Free and open international order is challenged. Global competitors are using all dimensions, including Cyber, to compete. The insidious breaking down of institutional governance, however fast or slow, keeps all of us on our heels and prevents the growth of prosperity. Our homelands are no longer sanctuaries. *If unaddressed, eroding US advantage versus China and Russia will undermine our ability to partner with you and deter malign influence and the slow drain of everything your respective nations’ have worked and sacrificed so hard for to get to where you are. *It is our informed opinion that China and Russia aim to shift regional balances of power to their advantage and weaken or fracture US led alliances or partnership networks that ensure security and prosperity for all. <CLICK – NEXT SLIDE>