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Sea Power and Maritime Affairs

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Understand the Navy under President Ford and the political and economic factors ... Ford sends in USAF, USN, USMC (largest deployment since Vietnam) ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Sea Power and Maritime Affairs


1
Sea Power and Maritime Affairs
  • Lesson 16 The Era of Retrenchment Presidents
    Ford and Carter, 1974-1980

2
Learning 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.

3
The Navy Under President Gerald Ford (1974-1976)
4
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5
The 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

6
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7
MAYAGUEZ 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!

8
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9
Economic Inflation Technology Costs
By 1975, the Navys 200th anniversary, the Navy
had less than 500 ships.
10
President Jimmy Carter 1977-1981
11
Decline 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

12
The 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

13
Iran Hostage Crisis
14
So 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"
15
The 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)

16
Carter 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

17
Consequences 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

18
Discussion
Next time The US Navy from the Maritime Strategy
to 9-11, 1981-2001
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