Governments and lawmakers need to have informed debate to develop defence and foreign policy, while those they represent – the public – struggle to connect with places alien and hostile to human existence which significantly shape those matters. At the heart of this is the reality that our environment shapes our lives. The place of least interaction for most – the sea and space – do so daily. From the seabed, where raw resources and the bulk of digital data flow, advance national economies, to the oceans where ships move the goods and resources civilisation depends on, to space that influences everything below it, everything works in a fragile concerto of technology and human exertion to keep our civilisation functioning. This is an inheritance for all, where human endeavour, innovation, exploration and much more work together, often in a less than perfect manner. Nonetheless, it does work to provide the global commons in which decision-making and directions can be taken – locally, nationally or internationally – on every sector and activity humans engage in.
Looking Beyond the Horizon
Humans tend to focus on the here and now, while looking to the past and future with curiosity, trepidation and some suspicion. There is a tendency to focus on day-to-day activities where individuals set importance on the perception of their immediate needs. This rarely results in a spare thought as to what is beyond the horizon, coastline or far above them. While those interested in the world around us and how it functions understand this concerto, the fact that it does work only serves to push what happens at sea and in space far from most people's minds until it goes wrong. In these moments, what happens on the oceans or in space usually comes to the forefront of people’s minds, particularly as it usually involves economics, defence, technology and relations between nations.
When questions are asked about pressing economic matters, military operations, or delicate foreign relations, poor education often either exposes or leads to blindness on various issues in policy. These weaknesses can be purposefully prised open by adversaries and those with ill agendas or, through a series of missteps, delay addressing problems. This obscurity often pertains to what happens on the sea and in space and their impact on national life, along with the interaction between these crucial domains and the activities of the nation. Most are not to blame for this as it goes beyond a mere matter of literacy and reflects the particular geography of a nation where debate occurs. For example, the sea is non-negotiable to an island like Britain, while in other countries like the United States the drive for superiority in space to achieve global reach may take precedence. Humans have had to purposefully set out to develop machines and technology-enabling pathways to make these domains useful. In the process, they have developed skills, defeated challenges and made theoretical ideas practical. That is because neither the sea nor space is humans' natural habitat. We cannot naturally survive there, and unlike air, which is a transitory area, we do things with sea and space vital to the success of our species. In their own way, they provide security, which people depend upon, whether logistically, such as raw resources to power homes and businesses or to defend against adversaries’ actions.
Educating on Strategy
Understanding these domains requires special and continuous effort. Advancing understanding requires ever-present education, which in itself is based on the only thing it can be: experience. This is because guesswork, assumptions and weak theories with little supporting substance are useless to inform those who make policy, design strategies, debate laws and execute doctrine. This is because the price of failure at such a level can often be disastrous. Instead, using the best tools at our fingertips is a superior way to address the task. Studying history – but with a view to applying the wisdom and insight that can be gained from it – will always provide sound foundations. This enables nations to refresh debates, ideas, and policies for the times we face by using that guidance in discussion forums.
To help maximise usefulness and understanding of the sea and space in the many-faceted parts of national enterprise requires strategy. This is because a national strategy, where all the levers of a nation – military and civilian – must work together, can be brought to bear to achieve national objectives. Often, this is not the case and is more of a phenomenon in recent decades of policy-making than it was in previous centuries. What happens at sea and in space is not a self-contained history, nor is strategy a self-contained history of ideas; they continuously and reciprocally influence the world around us. The use of both today results from complex and often non-linear processes and experiences, that shape nations, cultures and human interactions. These interactions may function as unity but – in the worst cases – can lead to tension, conflict and war. Elsewhere, military power requires strategy bound in timeless principles, and all the components from all domains—land, sea, air, space, and cyber–must work together towards a common goal. However, blindness to sea and space will provide nothing more than a clear path to defeat. Not understanding the importance of internet stability, the adequate flow of resources, the support of power grids or the value of intelligence – all of which are crucial to military and diplomatic efforts – ultimately stunts a nation’s ability to make and execute informed choices.
Navigating the Oceanscape of Policy-Making
In attempting to navigate the choppy waters of the 21st century, it is helpful first to recognise that the challenges faced are little different to all recorded history; turmoil is a status quo and often has deep roots. ‘Peacetime’ and nothing happening would be the end of history and is out of step with the trend of humankind, at least for now. Today we see, from the Indo-Pacific through to Europe with the Ukraine-Russia invasion, a complex interweaving of history, culture, politics, economics and more where the sea and space bear influence across the civilian and military spectrum. How we think about these domains and the process of understanding their role will either aid resolving questions and problems or hinder them, particularly if they are used to effectiveness by those with different agendas. Modern warfare and diplomacy are full of complexities influenced by seabed through to space and by the realm of cyber and artificial intelligence. We must look to a comprehensive strategy rather than a selective approach. This is not an easy process, but history shows that understanding the relationship between land and sea, armies and navies, has been crucial, and that educating decision-makers on these dynamics is crucial to empowering national discourse and the process of strategic thinking.
In short, the seas and space matter. Although, through time, their influence and usefulness have been questioned, misunderstood or even manipulated, they cannot and should not be ignored. For blindness in policy or strategy, both military and civilian, will always exist. It can be combatted and tempered, but never wholly defeated, but the success of that task ultimately rests on the education of decision-makers and the public alike because international order and national security rest on seabed to space strategy.