To Provide and Maintain a Navy: Why Naval Primacy Is America's First, Best Strategy

by Henry J Hendrix

The national conversation regarding the United States Navy has, for far too long, been focused on the popular question of how many ships does the service need? "To Provide and Maintain a Navy," a succinct but encompassing treatise on sea power by Dr. Henry J "Jerry" Hendrix, goes beyond the numbers to reveal the crucial importance of Mare Liberum (Free Sea) to the development of the Western thought and the rules based order that presently governs the global commons that is the high seas. Proceeding from this philosophical basis, Hendrix explores how a "free sea" gave way to free trade and the central role sea borne commercial trade has played in the overall rise in global living standards. This is followed by analysis of how the relative naval balance of power has played out in terms of naval battles and wars over the centuries and how the dominance of the United States Navy following World War II has resulted in seven decades of unprecedented peace on the world's oceans. He further considers how, in the years that followed the demise of the Soviet Union, both China and Russia began laying the groundwork to challenge the United States maritime leadership and upend five centuries of naval precedents in order to establish a new approach to sovereignty over the world's seas. It is only at this point that Dr. Hendrix approaches the question of the number of ships required for the United States Navy, the industrial base required to build them, and the importance of once again aligning the nation's strategic outlook to that of a "seapower" in order to effectively and efficiently address the rising threat. "To Provide and Maintain a Navy" is brief enough to be read in a weekend but deep enough to inform the reader as to the numerous complexities surrounding what promises to be the most important strategic conversation facing the United States as it enters a new age of great power competition with not one, but two nations who seek nothing less than to close and control the world's seas.

Genres: Nonfiction, Military Fiction

146 pages, Hardcover

Published December 19, 2020

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cogent overview of the geopolitical state of things, and makes a good case for the need to reimagine our national security strategy and the composition of the Navy. This should be read by every member of Congress, especially those on the armed services and manufacturing committees. Unfortunately, I doubt there is enough of a national desire for the long term financial and attitudinal commitment to actually do what Captain Hendrix is proposing.

My only criticism, beyond that the author should expand this into a 300-400 page book, is the misuse of the Moneyball analogy regarding shifting focus to smaller, more flexible ships. I’ve seen this innumerable times, where people mistake the substance of the choices made by the A’s as the point. The point was really about exploiting asymmetrical advantages and finding undervalued assets. I think this reading of Moneyball could also apply to the thought of what to do with the Navy, much as the big market teams like the Yankees, Red Sox, and Cubs embraced the concepts after the A’s success, but that isn’t explored in the book.

Regardless of that relatively unimportant criticism, this is an excellent book and I will definitely mine the footnotes for more books and articles to read.

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book, providing a detailed synopsis of modern Seapower theory alongside a set of policy and force structure recommendations for US naval strategy. The author, noted navalist Jerry Hendrix, lays out an argument for America’s return to its maritime roots. Hendrix describes the various threats and opportunities present in the current state of affairs, concentrating on the actions of China and Russia. His solution to America’s foreign policy concerns is a renewed focus on the maritime realm, arguing that a strong maritime centric strategy provides the best chance for America’s long term stability and security. The book concludes with an in depth set of policy and force structure recommendations to enable this maritime strategy. Hendrix’s ideal strategic doctrine emphasizes partner engagement, forward presence, and an aggressive maintenance of the post-WWII “rules based system.” This work very much fleshes out Hendrix’s concept of international influence through less-capable but more numerous naval units. Highly recommended for anyone wanting to better understand this particular line of effort in the ongoing debate about future American maritime strategy.

[Jeff Greason · Rating 5 out of 5]

This excellent and short book lays out clear and convincing arguments for why the underpinning of U.S. strategy as a great power must be the maintenance of the "free seas" that permit international commerce to flourish. And I think the author supports that thesis well. Unfortunately, the proposed implementation of that strategy --- the investments needed to return the U.S. to the dominant naval power with a 400-450 ship navy including an increased preponderance of small craft -- probably isn't going to happen. As Mahan points out (and as Hendrix alludes to), to be in such a position, a naval power must have a substantial merchant fleet, which provides the skilled trades, shipyards and docks, and crew that underpin naval power. And the policy changes required to get a significant fraction of world maritime trade back in U.S. hulls flying the U.S. flag are complex and not as simple as appropriating funds. However, whether solved as Hendrix proposes, or solved another way, the problem of maintenance of the free seas must be solved as the underpinning of U.S. strategy, and as such, the book is well worth the quick read.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well researched and clearly articulated, Hendrix makes a strong argument for focusing on rebuilding the US Navy as the best way of countering China and Russia. The author explains how and why freedom of the seas are so important to the world economy, tracing the creation of the “free sea” back to 1494 and carry’s his argument forward briskly and succinctly. Hendrix swiftly moves forward in time and brings us to present day great power competition with two historically continental powers. A short book at 106 pages, easy to read and plenty of footnotes.

Highly recommended for anyone interested in national security.