The U.S. Sixth Fleet and the Conventional Defense of Europe,

More than ten years ago, the Secretary of the U.S. Navy, Paul H. Nitze, questioned the ability of the United States to project its conventional power ashore in the face of opposition from Soviet submarines. His concern now appears prophetic. Citing the opacity of the seas, Mr. Nitze dealt with a Soviet Navy that had only begun to realize its potential for out-of-area operations. Since then, the emergence of the USSR on the worlds oceans has become one of the more significant events in contemporary defense. The impact becomes all the more significant when Soviet naval development is coupled to Soviet accomplishments with the other components of their armed forces, and their apparent attainment of an overall short-war capability against NATO.