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Agreen-water navy is amaritime force that is capable of operating in its state'slittoral zones and has limited competency to operate in the surroundingmarginal seas.[1] It is a relatively newterm, and has been created to better distinguish, and add nuance, between two long-standing descriptors:blue-water navy (deep waters ofopen oceans) andbrown-water navy (inland waters,littoral andshallow seas).
As a non-doctrinal term with no concrete legal or political definition, it can be used in several different ways. It originated with theUnited States Navy, who use it to refer to the portion of their fleet that specializes in offensive operations in coastal waters. Nowadays such ships rely on stealth or speed to avoid destruction by shore batteries or land-based aircraft.
The US Navy has also used the term to refer to the first phase of the expansion of theChinese Navy into a full blue-water navy. Subsequently, other authors have applied it to other national navies that can project power locally but cannot sustain operations at range without the help of other countries. Such navies typically have amphibious ships and sometimes small aircraft carriers, which can be escorted by destroyers and frigates with some logistical support from tankers and other auxiliaries.
The elements ofmaritime geography are loosely defined and their meanings have changed throughout history. The US's 2010 Naval Operations Concept defines blue water as "the open ocean", green water as "coastal waters, ports and harbors", and brown water as "navigable rivers and their estuaries".[2] Robert Rubel of the US Naval War College includes bays in his definition of brown water,[3] and in the past US military commentators have extended brown water out to 100 nautical miles (190 km) from shore.[4]
During theCold War, green water denoted those areas of ocean in which naval forces might encounter land-based aircraft.[3] The development of long-range bombers with anti-ship missiles turned most of the oceans to "green" and the term all but disappeared.[3] After the Cold War, US amphibious task forces were sometimes referred to as the green-water navy, in contrast to the blue-water carrier battle groups.[5] This distinction disappeared as increasing threats in coastal waters forced the amphibious ships further offshore, delivering assaults by helicopter and tiltrotor from over the horizon. This prompted the development of ships designed to operate in such waters – theZumwalt-classdestroyer and thelittoral combat ships; modeling has suggested that current NATO frigates are vulnerable to swarms of 4-8 small boats in green water.[6] Rubel has proposed redefining green water as those areas of ocean which are too dangerous for high-value units, requiring offensive power to be dispersed into smaller vessels such as submarines that can use stealth and other characteristics to survive.[3] Under his scheme, brown water would be zones in which ocean-going units could not operate at all, including rivers, minefields, straits, and other choke points.[3]
As the preeminent blue-water navy of the early 21st century, the US Navy is able to define maritime geography in terms of offensive action in the home waters of its enemies, without being constrained by logistics. This is not true for most other navies, whose supply chains and air cover typically limit them to power projection within a few hundred kilometers of home territory. A number of countries are working on overcoming these constraints. Other authors have started to apply the term "green-water navy" to any national navy that has ocean-going ships but lacks the logistical support needed for a blue-water navy. It is often not clear what they mean, as the term is used without consistency or precision.
A green-water navy does not mean that the individual ships of the fleet are unable to function away from the coast or in open ocean: instead, it suggests that due to logistical reasons they are unable to be deployed for lengthy periods and must have aid from other countries to sustain long term deployments. Also, the term "green-water navy" is subjective as numerous countries that do not have a true green-water navy maintain naval forces that are on par with countries that are recognized as having green-water navies. For example, theGerman Navy has near the same capability as theCanadian Navy but is not recognized as a true green-water navy. Another example is thePortuguese Navy that, despite being usually classified as a minor navy, has several times conducted sustained operations in faraway regions typical of the green-water navies. However, the differences between blue-water navies and brown or green-water navies are usually quite noticeable, for example, the US Navy was able to quickly respond to the disappearance ofMalaysia Airlines Flight 370 and continue operations in the region with relative ease even though the search area covered the Indian Ocean. In contrast, in 2005 the then green-waterRussian Navy was unable to properly respond when its AS-28 rescue vehicle became tangled in undersea cables unable to surface, relying on the blue-waterRoyal Navy to respond and carry out the rescue in time.[7]
Just as states build up naval capability, some lose it. For example, theAustro-Hungarian Navy was a modern green water navy of the time, but as the countries lost their coasts duringWorld War I, their navies were confiscated, and their ports became parts ofItaly andYugoslavia. TheAxis powers lost naval capabilities after their defeat inWorld War II, with most of Japan'sImperial Navy and Germany'sNavy being disarmed and their troop and ship numbers capped and monitored by the Allies. The collapse of theUSSR also brought with it the collapse of the second-largest naval force in the world, and the largest submarine force in the world. Although theRussian Federation made sure to inherit the most capable ships, passing most older models to successor states, as it had lost the logistical capabilities of theSoviet Navy, it was no longer able to operate away from Russian shores for extended periods of time. Moreover, budget cuts forced large cuts in the submarine force, such as the retirements of theTyphoon-classsubmarine. As the Soviet Navy was built largely around submarine warfare the losses in the submarine capability have adversely affected the capability of the newly formed Russian Navy as well.
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TheRoyal Australian Navy is well established as a green-water navy.[8][9] The navy sustains a broad range of maritime operations, from theMiddle East to thePacific Ocean, often as part of international or allied coalitions.[10] The RAN operates a modern fleet, consisting of destroyers, frigates, conventional submarines as well as an emerging amphibious andpower projection capability based on the commissioning ofHMAS Choules and twoCanberra-class landing helicopter docks:[11]
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TheBrazilian Navy has frequently been dubbed a "green-water" force by experts.[12] The navy is primarily focused on securing the country's littorals and exclusive economic zone (EEZ), but also maintains the capacity to operate in the widerSouth Atlantic Ocean. Since the early 2000s, the Brazilian Navy has contributed to a number ofpeacekeeping and humanitarian missions:
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According to the criteria as outlined in the 2001 publication, "Leadmark: The Navy's Strategy for 2020", theRoyal Canadian Navy had met its description of a 3rd tier "Medium Global Force Projection Navy" – a green-water navy with the capacity to project force worldwide with the aid of more powerful maritime allies (e.g. United Kingdom, France and the United States).[9] In this context, the Royal Canadian Navy ranked itself alongside the navies of Australia and the Netherlands:[9]
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TheJapan Maritime Self-Defense Force is considered to be a green-water navy.[8] Overseas JMSDF deployments include participation in theCombined Task Force 150,[13][14] and an additional task force in the Indian Ocean from 2009 to combatpiracy in Somalia. The first postwar overseas naval air facility of Japan was established next toDjibouti-Ambouli International Airport:[15]
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TheRoyal Netherlands Navy has been officially described as a 3rd tier "Medium Global Force Projection Navy" – or a green-water navy with the capacity to project force worldwide with the aid of more powerful maritime allies (e.g. Britain, France and the United States).[9] In this context, the Royal Netherlands Navy ranks alongside the navies of Australia and Canada, while the USN is a 1st tier global blue-water navy and Britain and France are 2nd tier blue-water navies.[9] For many years since the end of the Cold War, the Royal Netherlands Navy has been changing its role from national defence to overseas intervention:[16]
TheSpanish Navy is a green-water navy, and participates in joint operations with NATO and European allies around the world.[17] The fleet has 54 commissioned ships, including; oneamphibious assault ship (also used as anaircraft carrier), twoamphibious transport docks, 5 AEGISdestroyers (5 more under construction), 6frigates, 7 corvettes (2 more under construction) and three conventionalsubmarines. (4 under construction)
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TheRepublic of Korea Navy is considered to be a green-water navy.[8] In 2011, the government authorized the building of a naval base onJeju Island to support the newDokdo-class amphibious assault ships, the base will also be capable of supporting joint forces with theUS Navy.[18] Aski-jump for the operation ofV/STOL jet fighters is being considered for the second ship of theDokdo class.[19] The Korean government is considering to buy surplus Harriers as a possible interim for theF-35 Lightning II if they choose to operate VTOL aircraft at all.[20] On December 3, 2021, the National Assembly passed the budget to fund a fixed-wing aircraft carrier tentatively namedCVX-class aircraft carrier capable of operating F35B, expected to enter operations possibly as early as 2033LinkLinkLink South Korea participates in theCombined Task Force 151 with the expeditionary forceCheonghae Unit:
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According to a report byHaifa University,Turkey's naval might has become a significant source of concern for theMiddle East and theBalkans, as they have greatly modernized its maritime force in recent years.[21] The study puts theTurkish Naval Forces as the strongest in the region (Middle East), and describes the Turkish navy as being a "green-water navy". According to Israeli Colonel Shlomo Guetta, one of the report's authors,Turkey is building aNavy that characterises aregional power and can conduct long-range operations. Guetta also highlighted theTurkish Navy's strike force and intervention capacity. A flagship project is the construction ofTCG Anadolu, adrone-carryingamphibious assault ship that can serve as alight aircraft carrier. Quoting US military expert Richard Parley's estimates,[22] the report argued that the new warship will offerTurkey unprecedented strike capabilities in theBlack Sea andEastern Mediterranean. TheTurkish Navy, as of 2021, has a total of 156 naval assets, butTurkey plans to add a total of 24 new ships, which include fourfrigates, before the Republic reaches the 100th anniversary of its founding in 2023:
RecentlyIran has tried to expand its naval presence out of its own territorial waters by building new indigenous warships likeMowj-class frigates. Iran also participates in joint naval exercises with countries likeRussia,China andIndia. TheIranian navy mostly operates in thePersian Gulf,Gulf of Oman,Indian Ocean,Red Sea,Caspian Sea, and theMediterranean and has a fleet of 10 frigates (1 under construction), 17 corvettes and 35 conventional submarines (2 under construction).[23]
Additionally, Iran has a second navy branch, TheIRGC-N. Naval branch ofIRGC mostly operates land-based cruise missiles andspeedboats each carrying a variety of weapons, from anti-ship missiles to torpedoes and even rockets. This is suitable for the mission this force has, protecting local waters inPersian Gulf,Gulf of Oman, and theCaspian Sea. Though this force expanded its arsenal by buildingmissile corvettes andforward base ships, Like 4Shahid Soleimani-class double hulled ships (1 under construction)to operate much further than Iranian local waters:
