In its perpetual case statement to the American public on why its existence remains germane to the security and the economic vitality of the nation, the Navy overlooks an integral component of its argument: its history.
Arguably, providing Americans historical examples of the traditional naval missions of force projection, commerce protection, showing the flag, and humanitarian assistance help connect the dots far more effectively than the creation of some attention-grabbing slogan. (See Steve Cohen, “Winning The Battle, Losing The War” in the June 2012 Proceedings).
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