Title: Sea Power and Maritime Affairs
1Sea Power and Maritime Affairs
- Lesson 16 The Era of Retrenchment Presidents
Ford and Carter, 1974-1980
2Learning Objectives
- Understand the Navy under President Ford and the
political and economic factors that contributed
to the Carter Administration viewpoint of the
Navys role in Military Strategy and foreign
relations. - Know the evolution of strategic thinking and the
defense policy during of the Carter
Administration and the internal political factors
that influenced these policies. - Comprehend the policy goals that preceded the
Reagan defense buildup and the internal political
situation that enabled it.
3The Navy Under President Gerald Ford (1974-1976)
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5The Navy Under President Gerald Ford (1974-1976)
- VIETNAM Extreme frustration Congress would not
fund 1 billion for SVN - USSR
- Peaceful coexistence interpreted as rivalry for
dominance through client states in Third World,
notably Africa (Angola, Kenya, Zaire) - Nuclear arms race intensifies
- USSR develops triple-MIRV ICBM, SS-20 Backfire
bomber - US develops Trident SSBN total of 8,500
warheads (nearly 3,000 increase in five years) - SALT-II dead in water
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7MAYAGUEZ INCIDENT 12 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!
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9Economic Inflation Technology Costs
By 1975, the Navys 200th anniversary, the Navy
had less than 500 ships.
10President Jimmy Carter 1977-1981
11Decline of the U.S. Navy Under Carter (1977-1981)
- Background He inherited a congressional and
popular antimilitary attitude as well as a
reduced Navy composed of older ships. - Diplomacy He believed containment could not be
achieved through diplomacy and did not think the
Soviets were a world threat. - Salt I
- Salt II
12The Carter Naval Policy
- The President did not support naval expansion.
- His five-year building programs were extremely
austere. - He de-emphasized the presence mission of the
Navy. - He limited the conceptual basis for the Navys
size to plan for SLOC protection and support of
the major U.S. commitments to Europe. - The Iranian crisis (1978-1981) forced Carter to
send warships to the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean
13Iran Hostage Crisis
14So that's what our almighty government has had up
its sleeve since Day One to help our 50 brave
American hostages in Iran -- a military slapstick
comedy routine, played out in the deserts of
Iran! Denver PostSheldon J. Potter, Letter to
the Editor
People have been severely criticizing Carter for
doing nothing. But now when he does something and
it doesn't work he is going to be severely
criticized again. Arvid Laingen, brother of a
hostage, quoted in "Minnesota Relatives of
Hostages Differ Sharply on Rescue Mission"
15The Carter Naval Policy
- 1979, Anti-American Ayatollah Khomeini comes to
power in Iran - De-stabilizes the region for U.S.
- Since 1953 Iran was American friendly imported
in excess of 10.5 million dollars of arms - 1980, failed rescue attempt with hostages in Iran
- Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
- U.S. supports anti-Soviet fighters with high-tech
arms - Conflict lasts 10 years
- Soviets Withdraw, leaving Afghanistan in hands of
warlords, (ultimately, anti-U.S. Taliban)
16Carter Doctrine
- 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
17Consequences Ford/Carter
- Carter policy of Soviets being European
Continental Threat only badly damaged the Navys
ability to handle crisis in Middle East. - American Embassy in Tehran
- Stability in Middle East
- Iran/Iraq War
- Regan easily elected in 1980
- Carters dealing with hostages in Iran
- Soviet threat
18Discussion
Next time The US Navy from the Maritime Strategy
to 9-11, 1981-2001