National Policy and the Panoceanic Navy

U.S. Naval Institute ^ | March 2026 | Commander Jeff Vandenengel, U.S. Navy

[Retain Mike]

Today, the nation’s primary threat has shifted from the Soviet Union to China, which has an economy, military, and set of ambitions that make it a fundamentally different and more menacing adversary. Within that competition, China’s construction of a fleet and military designed to challenge the U.S. Navy has degraded U.S. command of the sea to its lowest point in 80 years, undermining the transoceanic Navy’s strategic concept and ability to contribute to national policy.

A new doctrine is taking shape, the theory of the Panoceanic Navy, shifting away from projecting power ashore and toward reestablishing command of the sea to enable the flow of friendly military forces and trade while denying that movement to the adversary. That strategic focus would allow the U.S. Navy to best protect the homeland, lead the joint force in implementing a strategy of denial against China, protect the nation’s trade and thus its wealth and power, and ultimately preserve the American way of life.

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TOPICS: History; Military/Veterans
KEYWORDS: china; doctrine; navy; strategy

[Retain Mike]

This article titled National Policy and the Panoceanic Navy seems to be the latest statement of a U.S. Navy strategy. Previously, there was National Policy and the Transoceanic Navy in 1954 by Samuel P. Huntington. That was written for USNI in the same year Eisenhower added “one nation under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance. In 1986 Admiral James D. Watkins wrote The Maritime Strategy as Reagan took on the Soviet Union. Early on Reagan was asked about his strategy for the Cold War. He said, “We win and they lose”. He had decided on a 600 ship Navy forward deployed. He reactivated the four Iowa class battleships and formed task forces around them.

The article is really long with 76 references in the bibliography. I could identify with the ships of 1986, but they are now well beyond my experience. My LST had a helm and engine order telegraph. Now the bridges look like a bunch of computer gaming stations. He discusses drones, unmanned craft, and China as the main adversary. If the Chinese tried to mess with us, our captain would fight the ship and thought we were formidable at that time with our three 3” 50-cal dual mounts. The article also makes lavish use of abbreviations, which complicates reading. Here are just a few:

People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)

Medium landing ships (LSMs)

National Defense Strategies (NDSs)

People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF)

robotic and autonomous systems (RASs)

distributed marine operations (DMO)

[Steely Tom]

Shifting the “primary threat” from Russia to China also shifts the theater of operations from Europe to the Pacific, which in turn swings priority from the Army and USAF to the Navy, which of course has its own Air Force.

[castlebrew]

Mahan, you magnificent SOB!

He read your book!

[Pelham]

Alfred Thayer Mahan for the influence of seapower upon history, and Halford Mackinder for the geographical pivot and world island.

Now someone better write the definitive strategy of Space.