Page 558 - 1992 - XVIII Congresso Internazionale di Storia Militare

524 SfNJIIMIN f . COOUNG

- chac carne tacer boro our of che necessiries of supporcing che Free World in the
World Wars and Cold War. Tbc American sreel navy's conrribution then was nor
in rerms of size, bur rarher in sryle and procedures whereby caprains of iodusrry
and capcains afloar mated wirh capcains of counting house, labor, and government
in a democracy not normaU.y given co forging heavy swords rather than plowshares
in peacccime. Prom the prococype complex supporcing che sceel navy sprang che
lacer "Arsenal of Democracy", an d scilllarer " milirary-indusrrial complex" replece
wir:b che weapons proliferation. scramble for Third World profirs, and perperua-
tion of nms destabilizacion iaherenr in our wodd roday. Even ar the rurn of che
cenrury the armameors secror reflected enrrepreneurship, comperirion, and hidden·
hand manipulacion of the diplomacic scene as La Creusot, Armsrrong, Krupp, and
tbe America n makers ar Betblebem a od Caroegie sowed tbe seeds of larer conflict.
As rhis Congress ponders a od discusses the inreUecrual dimeasions of che dis·
covery of che New World aod ics in.fluence upoo milicary hisrory, ir wouJd do well
ro consider che meaning of rh."\ t discovery srretched. over cime. The birth of che modero
American fìghcing oavy and American milicary power at tbr rurn of rhe cwentierh
cenrury has conrribuced ro the subscance of milicary histary as we know ir. In su m,
four of those ways include:
Fint- America's emergence as a naval power a t the rurn of che cenrury caused
it co enter the Old World systern of geopolicics, oavalism. and arms races from
which i c ha d remained largely aloof sin ce the 1780s. Su eh enrry bas n or always bee n
salucary, however underscaodable. Tbac emry has conttibured co subsequenc mili-
cary history chrough wars and aUiances, arms races, rechnology exchange, as weU
as the sharing of ideas chrough training and educarion.
Sec011d - The comribution of one Americao naval officer, Al&ed Thayer Ma-
han, provided the lntellecrual base for sea power rheory rhar spread like wildfue
thcough naval minisrries around the globe. This rheory direcrly concrìbured ro rhe
eveors of subsequent milicary biscory much as irs progeniror might ha ve hoped.
Third- The birtb of American rnilicary power was based on che acvem of
a oew rechnology and professionalism thac linked the rools of war wicb improved
rraiaing and educarioR for accomplishrnent of mission. The Naval War College
and the Unired Scaces Navallnsricure were produce; of an era where disseminarion
of informatico and ideas became fuUy as importane as gun conon and coal and
beans. The contrìbution of an educaced force surely staods as ooe this epoch's prin-
cipal contrìbutions ro milirary hiswry. No longe.r were Hearrs of Oak sufficienc
for conducting the sciem;e of nilval warft~re.
Fo11rth - Above ali, the conrribucion of che Unired States and ics eady steel
navy mus·r be secn in rhe comexc ofindusuialization aod the emergence of the na·
tion as che preeminenc leader of the indusrrial world. Developmenc of a aaral ar-
mamenrs industry io peacetime during thìs period provided rhe seeds for later
expansion durin.g warrime necessiry, nor merely in supporr of tbc Unired Srates
bue the whole free world. Technology and indusrrialism symbolize modrrn America