Renaissance of naval warfare?

The 21st century is already characterised by maritime issues. The struggle for power and an arms race at sea harbour great potential for escalation.

Sea power is back in the headlines - even in Germany. Here, maritime security policy issues rarely dominate the news. For a globally active industrialised nation that is dependent on maritime transport and still ranks third behind China and the United States in terms of exports, this is remarkable anyway. But it fits in with the shadowy existence of security policy in the attention of the German public. And here the navy is particularly overshadowed. At most, occasional missions against piracy or people smuggling make it into the mass media.

Strategic issues such as securing sea routes or controlling sea areas usually only concern small groups of experts in Germany. Until now. This is because the media focus, as erratic as it is, is increasingly failing to recognise what has been developing in Asia for many years: an arms race at sea. The most recent example is Australia's decision to enter into a maritime security partnership with the USA and the UK, not least in connection with the development of an Australian fleet of nuclear submarines. The common goal is to contain Chinese claims to power in the Pacific region and thus secure international sea lanes.