United States Navy

==History==
{{main|History of the United States Navy}}

===Origins===
{{blockquote|It follows then as certain as that night succeeds the day, that without a decisive naval force we can do nothing definitive, and with it, everything honorable and glorious.|[[George Washington]] 15 November 1781, to [[Marquis de Lafayette]]<ref name="FamousNavyQuotes">{{cite web |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/heritage/famous-navy-quotes.html |title=Famous Navy Quotes: Who Said Them&nbsp;... and When |publisher=[[Naval History & Heritage Command]] |access-date=20 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150613095121/http://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/heritage/famous-navy-quotes.html |archive-date=13 June 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>}}

{{blockquote|Would to Heaven we had a navy able to reform those enemies to mankind or crush them into non-existence.|George Washington 15 August 1786, to Marquis de Lafayette<ref name="George Washington to Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, August 15, 1786">{{cite web |url=https://www.loc.gov/resource/mgw2.013/?sp=159&st=text |title=George Washington to Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, August 15, 1786 |publisher=[[Library of Congress]] |access-date=31 May 2019}}</ref>}}

{{blockquote|Naval power . . . is the natural defense of the United States.|[[John Adams]]<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PZZWBgAAQBAJ&q=naval%2520power%2520adams%2520navy%2520miller&pg=PA9 |title=The U.S. Navy: A History, Third Edition |last=Miller |first=Nathan |date=1997 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |isbn=978-1-61251-892-3 |page=9}}</ref>}}

The Navy was rooted in the colonial seafaring tradition, which produced a large community of sailors, captains, and shipbuilders.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5yB7hMbYjjUC&pg=PG1|title=American Naval History, 1607–1865: Overcoming the Colonial Legacy|last=Dull|first=Jonathan R.|publisher=U. of Nebraska Press|year=2012|isbn=978-0-8032-4471-9|pages=1–16|access-date=17 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160126040429/https://books.google.com/books?id=5yB7hMbYjjUC&pg=PG1|archive-date=26 January 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> In the early stages of the [[American Revolutionary War]], [[Massachusetts]] had its own [[Massachusetts Naval Militia]]. The rationale for establishing a national navy was debated in the [[Second Continental Congress|Second]] [[Continental Congress]]. Supporters argued that a navy would protect shipping, defend the coast, and make it easier to seek support from foreign countries. Detractors countered that challenging the British [[Royal Navy]], then the world's preeminent naval power, was a foolish undertaking. Commander in Chief [[George Washington]] resolved the debate when he commissioned the ocean-going [[schooner]] [[USS Hannah|USS ''Hannah'']] to interdict British merchantmen and reported the captures to the Congress. On 13 October 1775, the Continental Congress authorized the purchase of two vessels to be armed for a cruise against British merchantmen; this resolution created the [[Continental Navy]] and is considered the first establishment of the U.S. Navy.<ref name="Continental"/> The Continental Navy achieved mixed results; it was successful in a number of engagements and raided many British merchant vessels, but it lost twenty-four of its vessels<ref name="love">{{cite book |last=Love | first=Robert W. Jr. |title=History of the US Navy |volume=One: 1775–1941 |location=Harrisburg |publisher=Stackpole Books |year=1992 |isbn=978-0-8117-1862-2}}</ref> and at one point was reduced to two in active service.<ref name="Howarth">{{cite book |last=Howarth |first=Steven |title=To Shining Sea: A history of the United States Navy 1776–1991 |location=New York |publisher=Random House |year=1991 |isbn=0-394-57662-4 |url=https://archive.org/details/toshiningseahist00howa}}</ref> In August 1785, after the Revolutionary War had drawn to a close, [[Congress of the Confederation|Congress]] had sold {{USS|Alliance|1778|2}}, the last ship remaining in the Continental Navy due to a lack of funds to maintain the ship or support a navy.<ref name="Alliance">{{cite DANFS |title=Alliance |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/a7/alliance-i.htm |access-date=31 August 2009}}</ref><ref name="AbbotVIPICXV">Abbot 1896, Volume I Part I Chapter XV</ref>

In 1972, the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral [[Elmo Zumwalt]], authorized the Navy to celebrate its birthday on 13 October to honor the establishment of the Continental Navy in 1775.<ref name="New Navy Birthday">{{cite web |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/commemorations-toolkits/navy-birthday/OriginsNavy.html |title=Origins of the Navy |publisher=Naval History & Heritage Command |work=[[Naval History & Heritage Command]] |access-date=1 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170430221936/https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/commemorations-toolkits/navy-birthday/OriginsNavy.html |archive-date=30 April 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Continental">{{cite web |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq59-13.htm |title=Establishment of the Navy, 13&nbsp;October 1775 |publisher=US Navy |work=[[Naval History & Heritage Command]] |access-date=5 November 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990204022651/http://history.navy.mil/faqs/faq59-13.htm |archive-date=4 February 1999}}</ref>

===From re-establishment to the Civil War===
{{see also|Union Navy}}

The United States was without a navy for nearly a decade, a state of affairs that exposed U.S. maritime merchant ships to a series of attacks by the [[Barbary pirates]]. The sole armed maritime presence between 1790 and the launching of the U.S. Navy's first warships in 1797 was the [[U.S. Revenue Cutter Service|U.S. Revenue-Marine]], the primary predecessor of the [[U.S. Coast Guard]]. Although the United States Revenue Cutter Service conducted operations against the pirates, the pirates' depredations far outstripped its abilities and Congress passed the [[Naval Act of 1794]] that established a permanent standing navy on 27 March 1794.<ref name="US">{{cite web |url=https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/new-us-navy/act-draft.html |title=Launching the New U.S. Navy, 27 March 1794 |publisher=National Archives and Records Administration Center for Legislative Archives Records of the U.S. Senate Record Group 46 |access-date=1 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110107211812/http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/new-us-navy/act-draft.html |archive-date=7 January 2011 |url-status=live |date=15 August 2016}}</ref> The Naval Act ordered the construction and manning of [[Original six frigates of the United States Navy|six frigates]] and, by October 1797,<ref name="love"/> the first three were brought into service: {{USS|United States|1797|6}}, {{USS|Constellation|1797|6}}, and {{USS|Constitution}}. Due to his strong posture on having a strong standing Navy during this period, [[John Adams]] is "often called the father of the American Navy".<ref>{{cite book | last=Wood | first=Gordon S. | title=Friends Divided: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson | publisher=Penguin Press | year=2017 | isbn=978-0735224711 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/j/john-adams-frigate-i.html|title=John Adams I (Frigate) 1799–1867|publisher=USA.gov|access-date=22 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150909083339/http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/j/john-adams-frigate-i.html|archive-date=9 September 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1798–99 the Navy was involved in an undeclared [[Quasi-War]] with France.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.americanhistorycentral.com/entries/quasi-war/|title=Quasi-War|author=Randal Rust|publisher=R.Squared Communications|access-date=5 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170415193423/http://www.americanhistorycentral.com/entries/quasi-war/|archive-date=15 April 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> From 1801 to 1805, in the [[First Barbary War]], the U.S. Navy defended U.S. ships from the Barbary pirates, blockaded the Barbary ports and executed attacks against the Barbary' fleets.

The U.S. Navy saw substantial action in the [[War of 1812]], where it was victorious in eleven single-ship duels with the Royal Navy. It proved victorious in the [[Battle of Lake Erie]] and prevented the region from becoming a threat to American operations in the area. The result was a major victory for the U.S. Army at the [[War of 1812#Niagara frontier, 1813|Niagara Frontier]] of the war, and the defeat of the Native American allies of the British at the [[Battle of the Thames]]. Despite this, the U.S. Navy could not prevent the British from blockading its ports and landing troops.<ref name="multiple1">{{cite web |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/h/history-of-the-us-navy/continental-period.html |title=The Navy: The Continental Period, 1775–1890 |last=Palmer |first=Michael A. |publisher=[[Naval History and Heritage Command]] |access-date=20 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630012657/http://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/h/history-of-the-us-navy/continental-period.html |archive-date=30 June 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> But after the War of 1812 ended in 1815, the U.S. Navy primarily focused its attention on protecting American shipping assets, sending squadrons to the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, where it participated in the [[Second Barbary War]] that ended piracy in the region, South America, Africa, and the Pacific.<ref name="love" /> From 1819 to the outbreak of the Civil War, the [[Africa Squadron]] operated to suppress the [[History of slavery|slave trade]], seizing 36 slave ships, although its contribution was smaller than that of the much larger British Royal Navy. After 1840 several [[United States Secretary of the Navy|secretaries of the navy]] were southerners who advocated for strengthening southern naval defenses, expanding the fleet, and making naval technological improvements.<ref>Karp, Matthew J. "Slavery and American Sea Power: The Navalist Impulse in the Antebellum South." ''The Journal of Southern History'', vol. 77, no. 2, 2011, p. 317. [http://www.jstor.org/stable/41306197 JSTOR website] Retrieved 12 Jan. 2023.</ref>

[[File:USS Constitution vs Guerriere.jpg|thumb|[[USS Constitution vs HMS Guerriere|USS ''Constitution'' vs HMS ''Guerriere'']] during the [[War of 1812]]]]
During the [[Mexican–American War]] the U.S. Navy blockaded Mexican ports, capturing or burning the Mexican fleet in the [[Gulf of California]] and capturing all major cities in [[Baja California]] peninsula. In 1846–1848 the Navy successfully used the [[Pacific Squadron]] under Commodore [[Robert Stockton|Robert F. Stockton]] and its marines and blue-jackets to facilitate the capture of California with large-scale land operations coordinated with the local militia organized in the [[California Battalion]]. The Navy conducted the U.S. military's first large-scale amphibious joint operation by successfully landing 12,000 army troops with their equipment in one day at [[Veracruz (city)|Veracruz]], Mexico. When larger guns were needed to bombard Veracruz, Navy volunteers landed large guns and manned them in the successful bombardment and capture of the city. This successful landing and capture of Veracruz opened the way for the capture of Mexico City and the end of the war.<ref name="multiple1" /> The U.S. Navy established itself as a player in [[United States foreign policy]] through the actions of [[Commodore (USN)|Commodore]] [[Matthew Perry (naval officer)|Matthew C. Perry]] in Japan, which resulted in the [[Convention of Kanagawa]] in 1854.

Naval power played a significant role during the [[American Civil War]], in which the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] had a distinct advantage over the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]] on the seas.<ref name="multiple1" /> A [[Union blockade]] on all major ports shut down exports and the coastal trade, but blockade runners provided a thin lifeline. The [[Brown-water navy]] components of the U.S. navy control of the river systems made internal travel difficult for Confederates and easy for the Union. The war saw [[ironclad warship]]s in combat for the first time at the [[Battle of Hampton Roads]] in 1862, which pitted {{USS|Monitor}} against {{ship|CSS|Virginia}}.<ref>{{cite book |last=McPherson |first=James M. |title=War on the Waters: The Union and Confederate Navies, 1861–1865 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=80LQH0Aoe3QC&pg=PA3 |year=2012 |publisher=University of North Carolina Press |isbn=978-0-8078-3588-3 |pages=3–4 |access-date=17 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160126040429/https://books.google.com/books?id=80LQH0Aoe3QC&pg=PA3 |archive-date=26 January 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> For two decades after the war, however, the U.S. Navy's fleet was neglected and became [[technologically obsolete]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PZZWBgAAQBAJ&q=us+navy+history|title=The U.S. Navy: A History, Third Edition|last=Miller|first=Nathan|date=5 November 2014|publisher=Naval Institute Press|isbn=978-1-61251-892-3|language=en}}</ref>

===20th century===
[[File:Us-atlantic-fleet-1907.jpg|thumb|The [[Great White Fleet]] demonstrating U.S. naval power in 1907; it was proof that the U.S. Navy had [[blue-water navy|blue-water capability]].]]

A modernization program beginning in the 1880s when the first steel-hulled warships stimulated the American steel industry, and "the new steel navy" was born.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hacker |first1=Barton C. |last2=Vining |first2=Margaret |title=American Military Technology |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a3KLJN5kigQC&pg=PA53 |year=2007 |page=53 |publisher=The Johns Hopkins University Press |isbn=978-0-8018-8772-7 |access-date=17 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160126040429/https://books.google.com/books?id=a3KLJN5kigQC&pg=PA53 |archive-date=26 January 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> This rapid expansion of the U.S. Navy and its decisive victory over the outdated [[Spanish Navy]] in 1898 brought a new respect for American technical quality. Rapid building of at first pre-dreadnoughts, then [[dreadnoughts]] brought the U.S. in line with the navies of countries such as Britain and Germany. In 1907, most of the Navy's battleships, with several support vessels, dubbed the [[Great White Fleet]], were showcased in a 14-month circumnavigation of the world. Ordered by President [[Theodore Roosevelt]], it was a mission designed to demonstrate the Navy's capability to extend to the global theater.<ref name="love"/> By 1911, the U.S. had begun building the super-dreadnoughts at a pace to eventually become competitive with Britain.<ref>{{cite book |last=O'Brien |first=Phillips P. |title=British and American Naval Power: Politics and Policy, 1900–1936 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gf1_mPYBwS8C&pg=PP1 |pages=7, 154–156 |year=1998 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-275-95898-5 |access-date=17 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160126040429/https://books.google.com/books?id=gf1_mPYBwS8C&pg=PP1 |archive-date=26 January 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> The 1911 also saw the first naval aircraft with the navy<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.airplanesofthepast.com/us-naval-marine-aviation.htm|title=US Naval & Marine Aircraft|first=Airplanes of the|last=Past|website=www.airplanesofthepast.com|access-date=4 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210160849/http://www.airplanesofthepast.com/us-naval-marine-aviation.htm|archive-date=10 February 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> which would lead to the informal establishment of '''United States Naval Flying Corps''' to protect shore bases. It was not until 1921 [[Bureau of Aeronautics|US naval aviation]] truly commenced.

====World War I and interwar years====
During [[World War I]], the U.S. Navy spent much of its resources protecting and shipping hundreds of thousands of soldiers and marines of the [[American Expeditionary Force]] and war supplies across the Atlantic in [[U-boat]] infested waters with the [[Cruiser and Transport Force]]. It also concentrated on laying the [[North Sea Mine Barrage]]. Hesitation by the senior command meant that naval forces were not contributed until late 1917. [[United States Battleship Division Nine (World War I)|Battleship Division Nine]] was dispatched to Britain and served as the Sixth Battle Squadron of the British Grand Fleet. Its presence allowed the British to decommission some older ships and reuse the crews on smaller vessels. Destroyers and U.S. Naval Air Force units like the [[Northern Bombing Group]] contributed to the anti-submarine operations. The strength of the United States Navy grew under an ambitious ship building program associated with the [[Naval Act of 1916]].

Naval construction, especially of battleships, was limited by the [[Washington Naval Conference]] of 1921–22, the first arms control conference in history. The aircraft carriers {{USS|Saratoga|CV-3}} and {{USS|Lexington|CV-2}} were built on the hulls of partially built battle cruisers that had been canceled by the treaty. The [[New Deal]] used [[Public Works Administration]] funds to build warships, such as {{USS|Yorktown|CV-5}} and {{USS|Enterprise|CV-6}}. By 1936, with the completion of {{USS|Wasp|CV-7}}, the U.S. Navy possessed a carrier fleet of 165,000 tonnes [[displacement (ship)|displacement]], although this figure was nominally recorded as 135,000 tonnes to comply with treaty limitations. [[Franklin Roosevelt]], the number two official in the Navy Department during World War I, appreciated the Navy and gave it strong support. In return, senior leaders were eager for innovation and experimented with new technologies, such as magnetic torpedoes, and developed a strategy called [[War Plan Orange]] for victory in the Pacific in a hypothetical war with Japan that would eventually become reality.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Holwitt |first=Joel I. |title=Reappraising the Interwar US Navy |journal=[[Journal of Military History]] |type=Book review |date=January 2012 |volume=76 |issue=1 |pages=193–210}}</ref>

====World War II====
{{main|United States Navy in World War II|Naval history of World War II}}
[[File:New Mexico class battleship bombarding Okinawa.jpg|thumb|Battleship {{USS|Idaho|BB-42|6}} [[Battle of Okinawa|shelling Okinawa]] on 1 April 1945]]

The U.S. Navy grew into a formidable force in the years prior to [[World War II]], with battleship production being restarted in 1937, commencing with {{USS|North Carolina|BB-55}}. Though ultimately unsuccessful, Japan tried to neutralize this strategic threat with the surprise [[attack on Pearl Harbor]] on 7 December 1941. Following American entry into the war, the U.S. Navy grew tremendously as the United States was faced with a two-front war on the seas. It achieved notable acclaim in the [[Pacific War|Pacific Theater]], where it was instrumental to the Allies' successful "[[Leapfrogging (strategy)|island hopping]]" campaign.<ref name="Howarth"/> The U.S. Navy participated in many significant battles, including the [[Battle of the Coral Sea]], the [[Battle of Midway]], the [[Solomon Islands Campaign]], the [[Battle of the Philippine Sea]], the [[Battle of Leyte Gulf]], and the [[Battle of Okinawa]]. By 1943, the navy's size was larger than the combined fleets of all the other combatant nations in World War II.<ref name="Tread">{{cite book |last=Crocker III |first=H. W. |title=Don't Tread on Me |publisher=Crown Forum |year=2006 |location=New York |page=[https://archive.org/details/donttreadonme40000croc/page/302 302] |isbn=978-1-4000-5363-6 |url=https://archive.org/details/donttreadonme40000croc/page/302}}</ref> By war's end in 1945, the U.S. Navy had added hundreds of new ships, including 18 aircraft carriers and 8 battleships, and had over 70% of the world's total numbers and total tonnage of naval vessels of 1,000 tons or greater.<ref name="Defense Analysis; Dec 2001, Vol. 17 Issue 3, p. 259–265">{{cite journal |title=Weighing the US Navy |first1=David T. |last1=Burbach |first2=Marc |last2=Devore |first3=Harvey M. |last3=Sapolsky |first4=Stephen |last4=Van Evera |journal=Defense Analysis |volume=17 |issue=3 |date=1 December 2001 |pages=259–265 |doi=10.1080/07430170120093382 |s2cid=153947005}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=King |first=Ernest J. |author-link=Ernest J. King |url=http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/USNatWar/USN-King-B.html |title=US Navy at War 1941–1945: Official Report to the Secretary of the Navy |date=3 December 1945 |access-date=8 April 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060711124522/http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/USNatWar/USN-King-B.html |archive-date=11 July 2006 |url-status=live}}</ref> At its peak, the U.S. Navy was operating 6,768 ships on [[V-J Day]] in August 1945.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/us-ship-force-levels.html |title=U.S. Navy Active Ship Force Levels, 1886–present |publisher=U.S. Navy |website=[[Naval History & Heritage Command]] |date=20 June 2015 |access-date=20 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150613070332/http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/us-ship-force-levels.html |archive-date=13 June 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:US Navy Issue, 3c, 1945.jpg|thumb|On [[Navy Day#United States|Navy Day]], October 27, 1945, the U.S. Post Office issued a commemorative stamp in honor of the Navy and the end of WW2.]]
Doctrine had significantly shifted by the end of the war. The U.S. Navy had followed in the footsteps of the navies of Great Britain and Germany which favored concentrated groups of battleships as their main offensive naval weapons.<ref>{{cite journal |title=The Evolution of Fleet Tactical Doctrine in the U.S. Navy, 1922–1941 |first=Trent |author1-link=Trent Hone|last=Hone |journal=The Journal of Military History |volume=67 |issue=4 |date=October 2003 |pages=1107–1148 |publisher=Society for Military History |jstor=3396884 |doi=10.1353/jmh.2003.0300|s2cid=159659057}}</ref> The development of the aircraft carrier and its devastating use by the Japanese against the U.S. at Pearl Harbor, however, shifted U.S. thinking. The Pearl Harbor attack destroyed or took out of action a significant number of U.S. Navy battleships. This placed much of the burden of retaliating against the Japanese on the small number of aircraft carriers.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Tactical Use of Air Power in World War II: The Navy Experience |first=Henry M. |last=Dater |journal=Military Affairs |volume=14 |issue=4 |year=1950 |pages=192–200 |publisher=Society for Military History |jstor=1982840 |doi=10.2307/1982840}}</ref> During World War II some 4,000,000 Americans served in the United States Navy.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/wwii/expanding-the-size-of-the-u-s-military-in-world-war-ii/|title=Expanding the Size of the U.S. Military in World War II|website=warfarehistorynetwork.com|access-date=13 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180812194913/http://warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/wwii/expanding-the-size-of-the-u-s-military-in-world-war-ii/|archive-date=12 August 2018|url-status=live|date=26 June 2017}}</ref>

====Cold War and 1990s====
{{See also|1989 United States Navy order of battle}}
[[File:USS George Washington (SSBN-598).jpg|thumb|{{USS|George Washington|SSBN-598|6}}, a ballistic missile submarine]]

The potential for armed conflict with the [[Soviet Union]] during the [[Cold War]] pushed the U.S. Navy to continue its technological advancement by developing new weapons systems, ships, and aircraft. U.S. naval strategy changed to that of forward deployment in support of U.S. allies with an emphasis on carrier battle groups.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/h/history-of-the-us-navy/transoceanic-period.html |title=The Navy: The Transoceanic Period, 1945–1992 |last=Palmer |first=Michael A. |publisher=U.S. Navy |website=[[Naval History & Heritage Command]] |access-date=20 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630002739/http://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/h/history-of-the-us-navy/transoceanic-period.html |archive-date=30 June 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The navy was a major participant in the [[Vietnam War]], blockaded Cuba during the [[Cuban Missile Crisis]], and, through the use of [[ballistic missile submarines]], became an important aspect of the United States' [[Mutual assured destruction|nuclear strategic deterrence]] policy. The U.S. Navy conducted various combat operations in the Persian Gulf against Iran in 1987 and 1988, most notably [[Operation Praying Mantis]]. The Navy was extensively involved in [[Operation Urgent Fury]], [[Operation Desert Shield (Gulf War)|Operation Desert Shield]], [[Operation Desert Storm]], [[Operation Deliberate Force]], [[Operation Allied Force]], [[Operation Desert Fox]] and [[Operation Southern Watch]].

The U.S. Navy has also been involved in search and rescue/search and salvage operations, sometimes in conjunction with vessels of other countries as well as with U.S. Coast Guard ships. Two examples are the [[1966 Palomares B-52 crash]] incident and the subsequent search for missing hydrogen bombs, and Task Force 71 of the Seventh Fleet's operation in search for [[Korean Air Lines Flight 007]], shot down by the Soviets on 1 September 1983.

===21st century===
[[File:US Navy 100913-N-4973M-012 Lt. j.g. Craig Mueller, from St. Louis, Mo., and Lt. j.g. Zach Decker, from Boulder, Co., monitor the defense systems ab.jpg|thumb|U.S. Navy officers aboard the aircraft carrier {{USS|Abraham Lincoln|CVN-72|6}} monitor defense systems during early 2010s [[maritime security operations]] exercises.]]

The U.S. Navy continues to be a major support to U.S. interests in the 21st century. Since the end of the Cold War, it has shifted its focus from preparations for large-scale war with the Soviet Union to special operations and strike missions in regional conflicts.<ref name="forward">{{cite web |url=http://www.navy.mil/navydata/policy/fromsea/ffseanoc.html |title=Forward&nbsp;... From the Sea |website=[[United States Department of the Navy|Department of the Navy]] |date=March 1997 |access-date=25 July 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061121232752/http://www.navy.mil/navydata/policy/fromsea/ffseanoc.html |archive-date=21 November 2006 |url-status=live}}</ref> The navy participated in [[War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)|Operation Enduring Freedom]], [[Operation Iraqi Freedom]], and is a major participant in the ongoing [[War on Terror]], largely in this capacity. Development continues on new ships and weapons, including the {{sclass|Gerald R. Ford|aircraft carrier|2}} and the [[Littoral combat ship]]. Because of its size, weapons technology, and ability to project force far from U.S. shores, the current U.S. Navy remains an asset for the United States. Moreover, it is the principal means through which the U.S. maintains international global order, namely by safeguarding global trade and protecting allied nations.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Farley|first1=Robert|title=A US Navy With 350 Ships... But What For?|url=https://thediplomat.com/2016/11/a-us-navy-with-350-ships-but-what-for/|website=thediplomat.com|publisher=The Diplomat|access-date=22 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161122153526/https://thediplomat.com/2016/11/a-us-navy-with-350-ships-but-what-for/|archive-date=22 November 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2007, the U.S. Navy joined with the [[U.S. Marine Corps]] and U.S. Coast Guard to adopt a new maritime strategy called [[A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower]] that raises the notion of prevention of war to the same philosophical level as the conduct of war. The strategy was presented by the [[Chief of Naval Operations]], the [[Commandant of the United States Marine Corps|Commandant of the Marine Corps]], and [[Commandant of the Coast Guard]] at the International Sea Power Symposium in [[Newport, Rhode Island]] on 17 October 2007.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=32655 |title=Sea Services Unveil New Maritime Strategy |work=Navy News Service |date=17 October 2007 |first=Jim |last=Garamone |id=NNS071017-13 |agency=[[American Forces Press Service]] |access-date=27 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090305040311/http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=32655 |archive-date=5 March 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The strategy recognized the economic links of the global system and how any disruption due to regional crises (man-made or natural) can adversely impact the U.S. economy and quality of life. This new strategy charts a course for the Navy, Coast Guard, and Marine Corps to work collectively with each other and international partners to prevent these crises from occurring or reacting quickly should one occur to prevent negative impacts on the U.S.

In 2010, Admiral Gary Roughead, Chief of Naval Operations, noted that demands on the Navy have grown as the fleet has shrunk and that in the face of declining budgets in the future, the U.S. Navy must rely even more on international partnerships.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.navytimes.com/news/2010/06/navy_cno_at_mast_062210w/ |archive-url = https://archive.today/20120908023524/http://www.navytimes.com/news/2010/06/navy_cno_at_mast_062210w/ |archive-date=8 September 2012 |title=CNO: Global challenges need global responses |work=[[Navy Times]] |date=22 June 2010 |first=Lance M. |last=Bacon}}</ref>

In its 2013 budget request, the navy focused on retaining all eleven big deck carriers, at the expense of cutting numbers of smaller ships and delaying the SSBN replacement.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://aviationweek.com/awin/pentagon-saves-carrier-other-programs-expense |title=Pentagon Saves Carrier At Other Programs' Expense |date=27 January 2012|last =Fabey|first = Michael|work = Aviation Week}}</ref> By the next year the USN found itself unable to maintain eleven aircraft carriers in the face of the expiration of budget relief offered by the [[Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013]] and CNO [[Jonathan Greenert]] said that a ten ship carrier fleet would not be able to sustainably support military requirements.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.stripes.com/navy-s-top-admiral-reducing-carrier-fleet-would-burn-out-sailors-ships-1.284362 |title=Navy's top admiral: Reducing carrier fleet would burn out sailors, ships |last1=Harper |first1=Jon |date=22 May 2014 |website=www.stripes.com |publisher=Stars and Stripes |access-date=22 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140522160237/http://www.stripes.com/navy-s-top-admiral-reducing-carrier-fleet-would-burn-out-sailors-ships-1.284362 |archive-date=22 May 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> The British [[First Sea Lord]] [[George Zambellas]] said that<ref name="thediplomat1">{{cite web|last1=Stashwick|first1=Steven|title=Road to 350: What Does the US Navy Do Anyway?|url=https://thediplomat.com/2016/11/road-to-350-what-does-the-us-navy-do-anyway/|website=thediplomat.com|publisher=The Diplomat|access-date=22 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161122153836/https://thediplomat.com/2016/11/road-to-350-what-does-the-us-navy-do-anyway/|archive-date=22 November 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> the USN had switched from "outcome-led to resource-led" planning.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://aviationweek.com/defense/opinion-scotland-missile-defense-and-subs |title=Scotland, Missile Defense And Subs |last1=Sweetman |first1=Bill |date=11 August 2014 |website=aviationweek.com |publisher=Penton |access-date=11 August 2014 |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20170525032347/http://aviationweek.com/defense/opinion-britains-view-naval-strategy |archive-date=25 May 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>

One significant change in U.S. policymaking that is having a major effect on naval planning is the [[East Asian foreign policy of the Barack Obama administration|Pivot to East Asia]]. In response, the [[Secretary of the Navy]] [[Ray Mabus]] stated in 2015 that 60 percent of the total U.S. fleet will be deployed to the [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]] by 2020.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thediplomat.com/2015/03/us-navy-secretary-we-will-have-over-300-ships-by-2020/|title=US Navy Secretary: We will Have Over 300 Ships by 2020|author=Franz-Stefan Gady, The Diplomat|work=The Diplomat|access-date=12 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151023185658/https://thediplomat.com/2015/03/us-navy-secretary-we-will-have-over-300-ships-by-2020/|archive-date=23 October 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> The Navy's most recent 30-year shipbuilding plan, published in 2016, calls for a future fleet of 350 ships to meet the challenges of an increasingly competitive international environment.<ref name="thediplomat1"/> A provision of the 2018 [[National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018|National Defense Authorization Act]] called for expanding the naval fleet to 355 ships "as soon as practicable", but did not establish additional funding nor a timeline.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Larter |first1=David B. |title=Trump just made a 355-ship Navy national policy |url=https://www.defensenews.com/congress/2017/12/14/trump-just-made-355-ships-national-policy/ |website=www.defensenews.com |publisher=Defense News |access-date=2 November 2018|date=14 December 2017}}</ref>