Falling out of Formation: A Look at the Navy's Search for a New Maritime Strategy

Abstract : Since the demise of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Navy has continued to chart a path relying on a maritime strategy enacted in 1986, which successfully drove all aspects of naval warfare, from training to procurement and deployment during the Cold War. Several Policy documents have emerged since 1991 attempting to set new strategic pursuits for the Navy, but none have had the cohesive vision that the Cold War strategy employed for its era. The literature on national security strategy lays out the theory of delegation and execution in the strategic process from formulating grand strategy down to operational tactics but supporting literature on organizational models offers arguments that question the rationality of national strategy decisions. The ways strategy develops remain unclear, raising questions about the overall purpose of naval forces and the policies required to support a new strategy. This thesis will examine the strategic disconnect and confusion the United States Navy is experiencing in searching for a new Maritime strategy through the lenses of the organizational behavior and bureaucratic politics models. This will lead to a better understanding of the military's internal decision making process and its strategic direction.