all areas and things of, on, under, relating to, adjacent to, or bordering on a sea, ocean, or
other navigable waterway, including all maritime-related activities, infrastructure, peo-
ple, cargo, and vessels and other conveyances. Note: The maritime domain for the
United States includes the Great Lakes and all navigable inland waterways such as the
Mississippi River and the Intra-Coastal Waterway.^30This encompassesallnavigable waters, both oceanic and riverine, and is truly
global in scope. It is even more extensive than Mahan’s 1890 list of maritime
chokepoints. At a minimum, the NSMS encompasses the Taiwan Strait; the
Lombok, Sunda, and Makassar straits through the Indonesian archipelago; the
Six- and Nine-Degree channels in the Indian Ocean; the straits at Hormuz and
Bab el-Mandeb; and the Panama Canal.
The NSMS focuses on combating terrorism, but its eight supporting plans
aim at the dangers posed by piracy, international criminal activities such as
illegal immigration and drug trafficking, and environmental degradation. These
plans are
- National Plan to Achieve Domain Awareness
- Global Maritime Intelligence Integration Plan
- Interim Maritime Operational Threat Response Plan
- International Outreach and Coordination Strategy
- Maritime Infrastructure Recovery Plan
- Maritime Transportation System Security Plan
- Maritime Commerce Security Plan
- Domestic Outreach Plan
In Asia, the NSMS must come to terms not only with the vast reaches of
the Pacific and Indian oceans but also with many of the world’s largest ports,
including Tokyo, Yokahama, Kobe, Nagoya, Pusan, Qingdao, Shanghai,
Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Kaohsiung, Keelung, Manila, Singapore, Port Kalang,
Laem Chabang, and Mumbai. Additionally, Asia is served by several vital rivers,
including the Yalu, Huang, Yangtze, Mekong, Irrawady, Salween, and Brahma-
putra. All of these fall under the aegis of the NSMS.
The NSMS poses an insurmountable challengefortheU.S.Navy,givenits
declining strength and the host of competing missions. In 2006, recognizing this,
the chief of naval operations, Admiral Michael Mullen, attempted to rectify this
situation by launching an effort to write a ‘‘new maritime strategy for the twenty-
first century.’’ Mullen’s plan is modeled on the 1980s’ maritime strategy that
proved so effective in building and guiding the navy in the face of the Soviet
maritime threat.^31
Mullen’s plan takes account of what he has called three ‘‘enduring qualities’’
of sea power. First, the U.S. Navy can promote free markets and free societies;
second, the flexibility intrinsic to sea power allows the navy to undertake a vast
Clipper Ships to Carriers 61