The Navy protects Russia's national interests.

For many centuries the World Ocean has been, and remains, an arena of fierce rivalry and a zone where the interests of states, regional organizations, transnational companies, corporations and private persons meet, and clash. The spheres of interests are often determined by the methods they are protected--either force or money. In the sixteenth century the Papal bulls and the Saragossa treaty divided the Atlantic and the Pacific between Spain and Portugal. The beneficiaries proved unable to keep the vast ocean expanses under their power: for a long time both oceans remained a "no-man-land."

With the depletion of natural resources of islands and continents mankind turned its attention to the World Ocean and started dividing it in the latter half of the twentieth century. People began with territorial seas, the contiguous and fishing zones, and the continental shelf The division was done

according to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982, (*) caused a lot of discussions and affected the interests of over 50 states, including the United States, FRG; Britain, Russia, and China. The stumbling block was created by an uneven distribution of the biological, mineral, and chemical natural resources claimed by all (or nearly all) countries because the ocean is regarded as mankind's common property. For example, there are states that believe that the riches of Russia's Arctic sector belong to entire mankind. Russian interests are infringed upon along the entire stretch of its maritime border. The use of external communications is hindered by all sorts of artificial barriers that cost Russia hundre ds of billions of dollars. Russia's trade transit in the Baltic goes across Finland and the Baltic states, on the Black Sea, across Ukraine, on the Caspian Sea, across Azerbaijan. In the Far East there are visible preparations to seize the final stretch of the Trans-Siberian mainline through the Tumangan project on the River Tuman (Tumannaia). Certain foreign companies are working on programs of developing polar marine routes that will violate the order and rules according to which the North Maritime Route is used. One can imagine that a new division of the World Ocean will not require the use of force: the world has accumulated vast Cold War experience that makes it possible to win without weapons simply by seizing natural resources and communications.

For over three centuries Russia has been a great naval power. It will preserve its status as long as it has the Navy, an heir to the great historical, military, cultural and religious traditions. "Faith and Faithfulness" is one of them: it has concentrated the best features of the Russian nature: the sublime moral strength of Christian Orthodoxy, patriotism, selfless courage and self-sacrifice when defending the Motherland. The Navy is serving the nation's interests that are security and integrity. It is promoting, in many respects, marine trade, fishing and industrial activity in the World Ocean. In peacetime the Navy can serve foreign policy goals which makes its contribution to the country's security even more important.

Peter the Great set up the navy in the course of the Northern War that helped resolve many war-connected economic problems. This boosted the country's economy. The victories on the Baltic Sea opened the road from Europe to India across Russia, the task that the navy completed with glory.

By the early eighteenth century Siberia was conquered thanks to private efforts of merchants, Cossacks and other free people. They traveled along the northern and eastern Siberian coasts and reached Alaska. The Navy confirmed these glorious deeds with official expeditions that gained the place in history for the names of Bering, Chirikoff, Malygin, Pronchishchev, the brothers Laptev, Cheliuskin, and others Navy commanders. As a result the Russian state reached the Pacific and extended its territory with tens of thousands of kilometers of the sea coast.

After the naval victory in the Russo-Turkish war (1768-1774) Russia was recognized as a marine power. It immediately moved to the World Ocean with its own policy. The "armed neutrality" announced by Catherine the Great and supported by Russian naval squadrons made it possible for the United States to trade with Europe during the war of independence. In this way Russian seamen helped the United State become a sovereign state.

In 1798-1800 a Russian squadron under Vice-Admiral Fedor Ushakov undertook a Mediterranean trip during which the Jonian Islands were liberated from the French and a republic with a democratic constitution was founded on them. It was another case when Russian seamen demonstrated excellent training, courage, and heroism. The event was of tremendous political and military importance.

World market first appeared in the eighteenth century, a century of the Navy in Russia. It was the Navy that established Russia in the World Ocean and made it one of the leaders in international marine trade. During the trips round the world and long voyages undertaken to ensure security of the Russian Far East and Alaska Russian seamen discovered Antarctic and numerous islands. This was a huge contribution to Russian and world science.

In the latter half of the nineteenth century Russia pushed by its fast economic development turned its attention to the Black Sea Straits. The Russian army tried to capture them during a war with Turkey (1877) but, unsupported by the Navy, failed. (*)

By the early twentieth century the world had been divided among the major powers. The mounting rivalry on the world market and the growing demand for natural resources caused a turn from colonial expansion to the redivision of the world. World War I began. During it, and in the course of foreign military intervention and the Civil War in Russia the Navy fought together with the land forces along seacoasts, on the lakes, and rivers.

In 1922-1927 the ships of the Soviet Navy made 24 trips abroad. It was a naval review of the young Soviet state that wanted to position itself as a naval power.

World War II was a natural result of sharp confrontations and clashes over the markets, investment spheres, and raw materials. During the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) the Navy was fighting together with the land forces in the coastal areas, defended the inner and outer communication routes, moved troops and hauled cargoes. Soviet navy men absorbed and supported the best traditions of the Russian Navy and fulfilled their duty.

After the war the Soviet Union gradually involved over 60 states in different parts of the globe with over 60 percent of the world's population in its sphere of interests. The World Ocean connected these countries where the Soviet Union was pursuing a goal-oriented trade policy, developed new areas of fishing and coastal infrastructure, strengthened international ties and created new ones. The Navy had a special role to play: it protected the country from the seas, fulfilled its tasks, protected civilian ships in armed conflicts and against pirates, and in fishing areas. The very fact that the Soviet Navy was operating in the World Ocean increased its role and importance in defending the Soviet Union's interests.

Today Russia needs a strong Navy to protect its interests, not to be left in the cold when the World Ocean and its riches are divided so that not to be deprived of its marine riches. Russia cannot afford a navy of the 1980s yet it should prevent the Navy's total destruction. The Navy is exposed to three negative factors: low morale of the personnel; no new ships are built; ship repair facilities are totally lost.

Today, we have to register with great bitterness that the soul of the nation is crumbling together with economy. People are poisoned with money grabbing, moral degradation and individualism. We shall need at least two generations to restore the nation's spirituality and glorious traditions. Without that all development programs will remain dead.

To preserve the Navy's material basis the country should do everything possible to preserve its still existing core--the ships and the sea-based strategic nuclear forces. We have to restore, on a small but regular scale, reproduction of ships and concentrate on creating noiseless, fast, and deep-water submarines carrying a great amount of universal weapons on board. Surface fleet and aviation should be replenished mainly to protect submarine operations. They may include ASW, multipurpose escort and mine sweepers, and submarine defense and reconnaissance aircraft. In the Baltic, Black, and Caspian seas light assault surface ships should be mainly used. The Navy's combat capabilities should be increased by introducing latest combat means such as radioelectronic and high precision weapons based on new physical principles, etc. The country's military-industrial complex needs repair and modernization potential that would meet the need of the Navy's new composition.

(*)The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea established up to 12 nautical miles width for the territorial sea and the contiguous zone, up to 200 nautical miles width for the economic zone and up to 350 nautical miles width for the continental shelf

* According to the Paris Peace Treaty of 1856 Russia could not keep a navy in the Black Sea and have its naval bases there.