Protection of freedom of navigation rights is key to laundry list of national security objectives

The National Strategy for Maritime Security (NSMS) identifies freedom of the seas as a “top national priority.”²⁶ Naval forces depend upon global strategic mobility and tactical maneuverability to conduct the spectrum of sea-air-land operations in pursuit of the national interest, and these operations include:

• operating the most survivable component of nuclear deterrence, ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs);²⁷
• conventional global strike;²⁸
• air and missile defense;²⁹
• information operations;³⁰
• sea and land direct attack with missiles, naval gunfire and aircraft;
• crisis and disaster response, such as tsunami relief;³¹
• maritime homeland security;³²
• amphibious and expeditionary operations in littoral areas;³³
• insertion of special operations forces (SOF) for missions such as counterinsurgency and counterterrorism;³⁴
• constabulary functions and maritime security operations (MSOs) such as counterdrug operations³⁵ and piracy repression;”³⁶
• counter proliferation operations such as the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) and the Protocols to the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Maritime Navigation (SUA);³⁷
• exercise of the right of approach, approach and visit, maritime interception operations (MIO) and visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS);
• naval control and protection of shipping (NCAPS);³⁸ exercise of sea lines of communication (SLOCs) through the global supply chain and strategic supply;
• sea control;³⁹ anti-access and sea denial strategies such as mining; civil-military affairs;⁴⁰
• security cooperation and peacekeeping;⁴¹ and forward presence.⁴²

In addition to securing the homeland, the exercise of these military activities ensures and relies on U.S. command of the global commons, which means the United States is readily able to insert power anywhere throughout the globe.⁴³ The Chief of Naval Oper- ations has said assuring access to the oceans and preserving the freedom to conduct naval operations is directly related to deterring war, or, if necessary, winning it.⁴⁴