Maritime Strategy in an Age of Blood and Belief by (then) Vice Admiral Sandy Winnefeld, U.S. Navy. The U.S. Naval Institute has posted this 2088 Proceedings article by the next Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
While the United States keeps a watchful eye on potential global trouble spots, it cannot lose sight of the changing security complexion in Europe, Eurasia, and Africa.
As the 20-year fog of the post-Cold War transition lifts, a 21st-century pattern of international affairs is coming into sharp focus. The classic ideological feud between capitalism and socialism has given way to new dynamics that are remaking the international system: rising ethno-nationalism, violent religious extremism, globalization, scarcity of energy and food resources, and concerns over immigration and climate change.
Nowhere is this more true than Europe, Eurasia, and Africa, where these factors are widespread and intensifying, with increasingly disruptive effects. Although China, Korea, and Iran crisis scenarios exert the strongest influence over mid-term security strategies—including force structure, presence, and capability decisions—Europe and Africa are rising again on the ladder of America's vital security interests, with important long-term implications for how our nation's maritime forces are shaped and operated...
Read the full article Maritime Strategy in an Age of Blood and Belief at USNI.