Sea Power and Maritime Affairs: Sea Power and Maritime Affairs Lesson 19: Retrenchment Again - U.S. Sea Power, 1974-1980
Presidential Naval Legacy Continues: Presidential Naval Legacy Continues LTJG Gerald Ford MIDN James Carter
Slide3: The Navy Under President Gerald Ford (1974-1976)
MAYAGUEZ Incident, May 1975: MAYAGUEZ Incident, May 1975 Cambodian communist forces seize 40 man American commercial vessel.
Diplomacy fails to gain release
Pres. Ford sends in USAF, USN, USMC (largest deployment since Vietnam)
Recapture: 15 Marines killed; 50 wounded!
The Navy,1974-1976: The Navy,1974-1976 Vietnam aftermath: retrenchment
Congress rejects $1B for SCVN
USA vs. USSR
“Peaceful Coexistence” = rivalry for dominance through client states
Third World, notably Africa (Angola, Kenya, Zaire)
Nuclear arms race intensifies
MIRVs, SS-20 IRBM, Backfire, Trident SSBNs
Soviet naval expansion
US vs USSR Naval Balance: US vs USSR Naval Balance USSR develops “blue water” capability following Cuban Missile Crisis
Buildup engineered by ADM Gorshkov, Commander in Chief of the Soviet Navy 1956-1985
Hampered somewhat by entrenched Soviet attitudes: ships were for defensive purposes
Soviet Navy of 1970s
Ships with short legs and poor endurance
Slow Optempo – ships maintained in port and crewed only to dash out and defend if threatened
Capability to deploy forward develops slowly (gains momentum during 1970s)
US vs USSR Naval Balance: 1963-1989: steady increase in Soviet Maritime capability
New ships, aircraft and weapons constantly introduced
OKEAN 75 – simulated strikes vs. USA
Foreign basing
Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam US vs USSR Naval Balance
Soviet Submarine Development: Soviet Submarine Development Akula Class SSN, intro in 1985, still in production (15 built work stopped on 3 others), spd up to 35kts submerged Victor Class SSN, 3 Versions (Victor I intro in 1967(7 built), Victor II in 1972(26 built), Victor III in 1978 (26 built), spd 30-32 kts Sierra Class SSN, introduced in 1982 (6 built) Alpha Class SSN, introduced in 1977, 14 built, capable of 41 kts submerged, Titanium Hull and liquid sodium reactors, believed to be the fastest, deepest diving tactical submarine ever produced
Soviet Submarine Development: Soviet Submarine Development Typhoon Class SSBN, 3 built intro 87 (33,000tons submerged) 20 Ballistic missiles Delta IV Class SSBN, intro 1976, Four classes built (Delta I (18 built), (Delta II, 4 built), Delta III, 14 built) (Delta IV 7 built) Soviet Hotel Class SSBN, a nuclear version of the Golf class SSB, had 3 ballistic missiles in the sail. Soviet Yankee Class SSBN, this one on fire and sinking 600nm from Bermuda after one of the liquid fueled Ballistic missiles exploded
Soviet Submarine Development: Soviet Submarine Development Oscar Class SSGN, Intro 1982, 18,000tons submerged, spd 28-30 kts, two versions Oscar I (2 built) Oscar II (11 built) capable of firing 24 SSN-19 surface to surface missiles. Charlie II Class SSGN, intro 1974 (6 built), 11 Charlie I built, Capable of firing 8 SSN-9 Surface to Surface Missiles
Soviet Naval Aircraft: Soviet Naval Aircraft The Bear Recon Aircraft The Badger bomber An AS-4 Kitchen Anti-ship missile underneath the supersonic Backfire Bomber Russian Conventional Carrier Kuznetsov, tested variations of SU-27 Fighter/Bombers, uncompleted second ship sold to China to serve as “floating hotel”
Soviet Naval Aircraft: Soviet Naval Aircraft An AS-4 Kitchen Anti-ship missile underneath the supersonic Backfire Bomber (Backfire introduced in 1973 tested 67) The TU-160 “Blackjack” (1984-7) has an operational range of 14,000km and a service ceiling of 16,000m. The maximum flight speed is 2,000kph at high altitude and 1,030kph at low altitude.
Soviet Ships: Soviet Ships Sovremennyy Destroyer, 10 built, 8 SSN-22 Sunburn SSM, new units being built for China Slava Cruiser (3 built) 10,000 tons – 16 SSN-12 Sandbox SSM Kirov Battle Cruiser “Death Star”(4 built), 20 SSN-19 Shipwreck SSM, 12x8(96) SAN-6 Long Range SAM, 16x8(128) SAN-9 short range SAM 6 CAD-1 systems with twin 30mm gatling guns and 8 short range SAMs per system(48), 130mm twin mount dual purpose gun, 60rnd/min per barrel, helo, 20 Torps It is not possible in the time constaints to give a review of Soviet ships, they range from all gun cruisers through Udaloys, Kresta I/II, Kynda, Kara, Kashin, Krivaks, Nanuchka, Osa, Peyta etc. These shown here are only the latest and representative
US Navy / Soviet Navy Ship Force Level, 1969 and 1979: US Navy / Soviet Navy Ship Force Level, 1969 and 1979
US Navy / Soviet Navy Ship Force Level, 1969 and 1979: US Navy / Soviet Navy Ship Force Level, 1969 and 1979
Naval Technology Costs: Naval Technology Costs
Slide18: President Jimmy Carter
1977-1981
Decline of USN (1977-1981): Decline of USN (1977-1981) Popular and congressional attitudes
Aging fleet
WW2/1950s-era ships)
Containment through diplomacy
USSR as regional (Europe) threat
SALT process
Garrison force: Army/Air Force
“One Ocean” Navy?
The Carter Naval Policy: The Carter Naval Policy Modernization? … Not!
Austere shipbuilding programs
“Peacetime Presence” mission deemphasized
Navy sized to support European forces
SLOC protection.
Iran crisis (1978-1981)
Army / Air Force options?
Naval options?
Warships deployed to Middle East
Slide21: Iran Hostage Crisis
Slide22: Disaster in the Desert, Nov 1979: Eight service members killed & left behind. Confusion precluded destroying the disabled aircraft. Classified documents left behind betrayed sympathetic Iranians and destroyed any potential follow on rescue attempts.
The Carter Naval Policy: The Carter Naval Policy 1979: Ayatollah Khomeini seizes power in Iran
US ally lost
Nov 1979, Embassy hostages
Apr 1980: failed rescue attempt
Sep 1980: Iraq invades Iran
1980: Soviets invade Afghanistan
US supports anti-Soviet fighters
10 year conflict
Soviets withdraw, leaving Afghanistan in hands of warlords, (ultimately, anti-U.S. Taliban)
Carter Doctrine: Turnabout: Carter Doctrine: Turnabout “Let our position be absolutely clear: An attempt by any outside force to gain control of the Persian Gulf region will be regarded as an attack on the vital interests of the U.S.”
State of the Union, 1979
Consequences: Ford/Carter: Consequences: Ford/Carter Carter “Europe Only” policy
USN global capability diminshed
Navy hard pressed to handle crisis in Middle East
Policy options limited
Reagan elected in 1980
Iran hostage crisis
Public perceptions re USSR