Green-water navy

Naval force capable of operating in both littoral waters and open oceans

A green water navy is a maritime force that is capable of operating in its state's littoral zones and has limited competency to operate in the surrounding marginal seas. It is a relatively new term, and has been created to better distinguish, and add nuance, between two long standing descriptors: blue water navy (deep waters of open oceans) and brown water navy (littoral waters and near to shore). As a non doctrinal term with no concrete legal or political definition, it can be used in several different ways. It originated with the United States Navy, who use it to refer to the portion of their fleet that specializes in offensive operations in coastal waters. Nowadays such ships rely on stealth or speed to avoid destruction by shore batteries or land based aircraft. The US Navy has also used the term to refer to the first phase of the expansion of the Chinese Navy into a full blue water navy. Subsequently, other authors have applied it to other national navies that can project power locally but cannot sustain operations at range without the help of other countries. Such navies typically have amphibious ships and sometimes small aircraft carriers, which can be escorted by destroyers and frigates with some logistical support from tankers and other auxiliaries.

The elements of maritime geography are loosely defined and their meanings have changed throughout history. The US's 2010 Naval Operations Concept defines blue water as "the open ocean", green water as "coastal waters, ports and harbors", and brown water as "navigable rivers and their estuaries". Robert Rubel of the US Naval War College includes bays in his definition of brown water, and in the past US military commentators have extended brown water out to from shore. During the Cold War, green water denoted those areas of ocean in which naval forces might encounter land based aircraft. This distinction disappeared as increasing threats in coastal waters forced the amphibious ships further offshore, delivering assaults by helicopter and tiltrotor from over the horizon. This prompted the development of ships designed to operate in such waters – the and the littoral combat ships; modeling has suggested that current NATO frigates are vulnerable to swarms of 4 8 small boats in green water. Rubel has proposed redefining green water as those areas of ocean which are too dangerous for high value units, requiring offensive power to be dispersed into smaller vessels such as submarines that can use stealth and other characteristics to survive. Just as states build up naval capability, some lose it. For example, the Austro Hungarian Navy was a modern green water navy of the time, but as the countries lost their coasts during World War I, their navies were confiscated, and their ports became parts of Italy and Yugoslavia. The Axis powers lost naval capabilities after their defeat in World War II, with most of Japan's Imperial Navy and Germany's Navy being disarmed and their troop and ship numbers capped and monitored by the Allies. The collapse of the USSR also brought with it the collapse of the second largest naval force in the world, and the largest submarine force in the world. Although the Russian Federation made sure to inherit the most capable ships, passing most older models to successor states, as it had lost the logistical capabilities of the Soviet Navy, it was no longer able to operate away from Russian shores for extended periods of time. Moreover, budget cuts forced large cuts in the submarine force, such as the retirements of the As the Soviet Navy was built largely around submarine warfare the losses in the submarine capability have adversely affected the capability of the newly formed Russian Navy as well.

According to the criteria as outlined in the 2001 publication, "Leadmark: The Navy's Strategy for 2020", the Royal Canadian Navy had met its description of a 3rd tier "Medium Global Force Projection Navy" – a green water navy with the capacity to project force worldwide with the aid of more powerful maritime allies (e. g. United Kingdom, France and the United States). In this context, the Royal Canadian Navy ranked itself alongside the navies of Australia and the Netherlands: and an additional task force in the Indian Ocean from 2009 to combat piracy in Somalia. The first postwar overseas naval air facility of Japan was established next to Djibouti Ambouli International Airport:
Helicopter carrier capability – two 19,000 tonne s and two 27,430 tonnes Izumo class helicopter destroyers. – Can be modified to carry fixed wing aircraft. Amphibious capability – three 14,000 tonne s.
Replenishment capability – two 25,000 tonne Mashu class and three 15,000 tonne Towada class.

The Royal Netherlands Navy has been officially described as a 3rd tier "Medium Global Force Projection Navy" – or a green water navy with the capacity to project force worldwide with the aid of more powerful maritime allies (e. g. Britain, France and the United States). Amphibious capability – 12,750 tonne and the 16,800 tonne Replenishment capability – 27,800 tonne Karel Doorman (Also has amphibious capabilities), plus combat support ship Den Helder (building; projected service entry 2024).

The Spanish Navy is a green water navy, and participates in joint operations with NATO and European allies around the world. The fleet has 54 commissioned ships, including; one amphibious assault ship (also used as an aircraft carrier), two amphibious transport docks, 5 AEGIS destroyers (5 more under construction), 6 frigates, 7 corvettes (2 more under construction) and three conventional submarines. (4 under construction)
Amphibious/carrier capability – 26,000 tonne Spanish ship Juan Carlos I.
Amphibious capability – two 13,815 tonne s.
Replenishment capability – 17,045 tonne Spanish oiler Patiño and the 19,500 tonne Spanish oiler Cantabria replenishment ships.

According to a report by Haifa University, Turkey's naval might has become a significant source of concern for the Middle East and the Balkans, as they have greatly modernized its maritime force in recent years. The study puts the Turkish Naval Forces as the strongest in the region (Middle East), and describes the Turkish navy as being a "green water navy". According to Israeli Colonel Shlomo Guetta, one of the report's authors, Turkey is building a Navy that characterises a regional power and can conduct long range operations. Guetta also highlighted the Turkish Navy's strike force and intervention capacity. A flagship project is the construction of TCG Anadolu, an amphibious assault ship that can serve as a light aircraft carrier. Quoting US military expert Richard Parley's estimates, the report argued that the new warship will offer Turkey unprecedented strike capabilities in the Black Sea and Eastern Mediterranean. The Turkish Navy, as of 2021, has a total of 156 naval assets, but Turkey plans to add a total of 24 new ships, which include four frigates, before the Republic reaches the 100th anniversary of its founding in 2023:

Amphibious/carrier capability – 24,660 tonne TCG Anadolu. Amphibious capability – four 7,370 tonne Bayraktar class tank landing ship, and the 3,773 tonne TCG Osman Gazi. Replenishment capability – two 19,350 tonne Akar class replenishment oiler.