The role of navies in the contemporary era

Abstract

Navies remain primary political instruments of military coercion operating on and from the sea. In essence, navies exist to conduct naval warfare and are accordingly trained and equipped. Navies also experience constant pressures to respond to political demands to do more than warfighting, and these pressures compel navies as political instruments of policy to respond. As opposed to shedding warfighting roles, navies as flexible entities rather migrate along their role and task spectra to keep in step with changes and demands in their operating environment. Navies respond in different ways to keep in step with what the opposition and their policy-makers demand. Some navies execute several roles simultaneously, but prioritise warfighting capabilities while others prefer to dedicate their resources to roles below warfighting. Sri Lanka and countries bordering the Gulf of Guinea off West and Central Africa express how navies deal with threats below the warfighting level to protect their national interests. Navies tend to adapt to changes in their environment rather than shedding old and assuming new roles and tasks.