Steady strategy, contingent capability: NATO tackles emerging maritime challenges and increasing instability

摘要

It was coincidental but significant that, at the same time the newly proactive action by 'Ocean Shield' forces in April 2011 resulted in the halting of piracy in the Indian Ocean, the ink was drying on the new AMS, agreed the previous month. The AMS remains at a relatively young stage, with much still to deliver, but it has put impetus behind the thinking as to where - and how - NATO maritime forces should be employed in the future. Circumstances continue to influence the debate: the shift away from the static land campaign in Afghanistan, the dramatic decrease in the incidence of piracy, the growth of tension in the Black Sea and the Baltic, the shifting balance of energy supply, and the increasing attention on the new trade routes in the Arctic have all served to focus maritime strategists on particular areas for development. The theme that runs through all of these areas is that the situation can change rapidly and unexpectedly.