Sea Power Essay

The use of naval power throughout history proved its importance, especially on its strategic utility. The utilization of naval capabilities as to projection of power dates back to the 5th century when the Achaemenid Empire battled against the Greek and Egyptian threats (Giok, 2010). Thus, this essay seeks to provide an understanding on the importance of sea power as a strategic avenue for world domination.
This essay hypothesizes on the notion that a state, who has the capability to control the sea through its naval power fueled with economic supremacy and alliances, dominates the world. To justify this notion, it seeks to identify the differences of Mahan and Corbett’s views of “sea power” in relation to the experiences of Britain (19th and

The British Empire, in their time, enjoyed global economic ties that heavily relied on seaborne commerce. This economic stability enabled the British Empire to advance the capabilities of its naval force, thus, achieving supremacy as it engaged in world’s most historic wars. The notion of sea power was also forwarded in the coalition of Britain and the United States in early 20th century against Germany fearing that it would rise to challenge the then-world power – basing on its naval development program, and would challenge Britain’s supremacy. Mahan’s stand point urged the United States to build alliance with Britain so as to containing Germany’s rise while seeing that the declining power of Britain is an opportunity for the United States to become a world power. Showcasing Britain’s naval supremacy was the Falklands War. Taking into consideration these accounts, it can be deduced that sea power requires the linkage of naval supremacy and economic stability. A strong naval force supported by a stable economy lead to a state’s supremacy on world affairs. This will aid a state considerable political, military, and economic advantage as to gaining control of the sea