Historically, atissueonlandistheactualpossession andoccupation of territory, whereas atseatheissueistheunhampered useottheSea.Theoceans donot,ingeneral, lendthemselves tothenotionofoccupation butareinfinitely available asamediumofcommunication. Thus,theObjective offirstobtaining and thenmaintaining maritime superiority -preferably bydecisive hattle -becomes a matterofachieving theunhampered ability tousetheseaforone'sownpurposes and/orofdenying thatusetoone'senemy. HavIngachieved thatcondition inocean ~areasthatareconsidered vital, navalforcecanthenbeusedtopromote and protect suchinte.rests andpriorities astheStateconsiders necessary tothe success ofitswiderpolitico-military aimsonland,suchassuccessful invasion of foreign territory, effective blockade ofanenemy's sea-borne supplies or movements, orassuring aState's ownlogistic supplyroutesoffoodandwar materials. Inpolitical terms,therefore, supremacy atseaisnotanendin itself. Ultimately itmaybeameansofensuring national survival orameans towards theendofachieving victory onland.Fromthisgeneral position, it follows thatStates whiChconsider theirsecurity inwartodepend onunhampered Useofsealinesofcommunication willtakestepstodevelop anavalcapability to I...A/40/535 English Page23 safeguard thoselines. InSodoing,theymaydevelop navalforces whichare perceived ascapable ofthreatening thesecurity orinterests ofotberStates, thus leading totheconstruction ofanavalforce,tocounter theperceived threat. The resultcanbeanavalarmsrace,aphenomenon whichhistory haswitnessed betore andwhichisatpresent beingrepeated. 65.Inpeace, navalforces haveseveral roles. Inthefirstinstance, astrong navalforcecapable ofoperating farfromitshomebasesoffers asignificant capacity forbecoming involved inregional disputes orconflicts. Itspresence and strength therefore provide options foraction, either byvigorous involvement or coercion orasarestraint onaction byothers whichwouldnotbeavailable ifsuch aforcedidnotexist•.Thisrole,anditsattendant ability tosupport landorair operations against shoretargets ifnecessary, isknownas"powerprojection". 66.Theuniquecharacteristic ofnavalpoweristhatinfluence canbeexercised by simplepresence inanareawithout necessarily havingtolandanyforces onthe territory ofanother State. Navalinfluence inpeacetime environment isoften exercised notbyactively denying useoftheoceanstoothers butbyensuring their availability toone'sownmaritime traffic andtothatofothernations. This activity istheroleof"navalpresence", whereby theknowledge thataforceof warships isconsistently intheareabecomes afactorinthepolitics ofthe region. Thus,suchelements asprotection ofinterests, navalpresence abroad (oftenexercised bycourtesy visitstoforeign portsknownas·showing theflag"' andmaritime policing areseenbymaritime Statesasimportant navalfunctions. Thedemonstration oftheability todeployseapowerinallitsforms-naval force,merchant shipping, oceanographic vesselS, fishing fleetsetc.-canmakea deeppolitical impression, particularly nowthatthedevelopment ofmaritime resources isbecoming thesUbject ofincreased national andinternational attention. 67.Thepossession inpeacetime bymaritime powersofnavalforcessufficiently strongtocarryouttheirwartime tasksconstitutes afactorthathasitsown momentum. Theaverage hull-life ofawarship isatleast20yearsandsomewill serveover30.Anewclassofwarship cantake10yearsfromitsdesignto operational service. Theprovision ofanavalforceavailable toperform its allotted wartaskscantherefore involve largeeconomic reSources inpeacetime. Research anddevelopment, production, fitting-out, upkeep, maintenance, modernization andreplacement particularly inthesedaysofhigh-technology weapon systems andequipment, havebecome averyexpensive andpersistent commitment. Theseexpenditures areqUiteseparate fromtheveryconsiderable costsofmanpower, atseaandashore, andtheday-to-day operating costsofnavalforces. 68.Aboveallotherconsiderations, theadventofnuclear weapons andthedecision tousetheoceansasthemediumforthedeployment ofalargenumberofstrategic andtactical nuclear-armed forces haveintroduced anentirely newandparticularly
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing the importance of naval power and its role in national security, international relations, and global politics. It highlights the strategic significance of the oceans and the need for states to develop and maintain naval forces to protect their interests and ensure national survival. The text also touches on the economic costs and challenges of maintaining a naval force, including the expense of research and development, production, and upkeep.

**Category**
Transport and communication, Science and technology