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War on the Rocks ·Future-gazing

A Sea Control Revolution?

by Richard Dunley

Published 2026-05-28 07:30:16+00:00

How do you guard the open ocean when countries start treating the water like solid ground?

0:00 / 13:32 · Narrator Charon

Context

For centuries, navies treated the sea as a temporary highway for moving ships. In an essay published on 28 May 2026, Richard Dunley tracks how that view has quietly changed. Thanks to underwater data cables and expanding economic zones, governments now treat the ocean as sovereign territory to be guarded around the clock. The piece offers a framework that continues to explain the problem exhausting modern fleets. They are being asked to permanently police vast stretches of empty water during peacetime—a massive assignment requiring entirely new types of ships.

Show notes

An examination of how maritime strategy has shifted from temporary wartime sea control to permanent peacetime presence. Driven by expanding economic zones, new territorial claims, and vulnerable underwater infrastructure, governments increasingly treat the ocean as national territory. This demand for constant policing has created a growing gap between state expectations and actual naval capacity.

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