How the Navy protects America

America’s Navy is our nation’s front line in war and in peace, operating on, above and below the sea. Think of the Navy as America’s “away team,” deployed around the world, defending our nation’s interests every day.

This year marks the bicentennial of the War of 1812. Many of the qualities that shaped and helped the Navy win 200 years ago still hold true today: the fighting spirit and boldness of the Navy’s sailors, the Navy’s innovation and technological supremacy, the direct link between a strong Navy and a prosperous America through free world trade, and the Navy’s key role in preserving American sovereignty.

During the War of 1812, America called on the Navy and its warfighting sailors to preserve our country’s security and prosperity on the Atlantic Coast and the Great Lakes. Two hundred years later, that tradition continues, relying on the Navy to protect our strategic interests at home and abroad.

Today, Navy ships fight on the sea; Navy submarines fight under the sea; and Navy aircraft fight over the sea, taking off from and landing on Navy aircraft carriers. This ability to act from the sea is critical to national security. It gives the Navy the power to protect America’s interests – anywhere, anytime.

The United States is a maritime nation bounded by oceans on both sides. Consider a few facts. Water covers about 70 percent of the earth’s surface. Approximately 80 percent of the world’s population lives near the sea. About 90 percent of all world trade by volume travels by sea, including most of the 5 billion dollars in exports from Rochester each year. In other words, what happens on the sea matters. It matters to our national defense. It matters to world peace. It matters to our economy and to the preservation of prosperity. A strong Navy is necessary to preserve the American way of life.

The Navy has never been more in demand. The president’s national security strategy emphasizes our commitment in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions, vast, maritime areas of the world ideally suited for naval operations and in which the Navy maintains a robust presence.