Is the sea more or less important to global securityin the 2020s than when Mahan wrote about it?

Author: Ted Kirkpatrick

(MA Intelligence and International Security / BA French and Russian)

Abstract

In this essay, I explore whether sea power is more or less important to global security today than in Mahan’s time. I argue that while the core principles of maritime strategy—control of trade routes, chokepoints, and naval bases—remain crucial, technological shifts, climate change, and the rise of new powers have fundamentally changed the maritime landscape. Drawing on historical context and contemporary examples, I examine how China’s naval expansion, the increasing use of anti-access/area denial technologies, and the potential opening of the Northern Sea Route are reshaping global power dynamics. By reflecting on Mahan’s ideas in a modern context, I aim to highlight the enduring importance of sea power while acknowledging the new challenges and complexities that define it today.

Kirkpatrick, Ted - Gordian Associates - Contemporary Sea Power Assessment.pdf

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