Browsing by Author "Choi, Timothy Hiu-Tung"
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- ItemOpen AccessControlling the Northern Seas: The Influence of Exclusive Economic Zones on the Development of Norwegian, Danish, and Canadian Naval Forces(2022-12-12) Choi, Timothy Hiu-Tung; Huebert, Robert; Holloway, Ian; Ferris, John; Chastko, Paul; Sloan, ElinorThe military challenge of climate change in the Arctic is often centered upon resource access within Arctic states' Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ). There is thus a need to understand how those states' naval forces have responded to EEZ creation during the Cold War and their consequences through the present day. Examining the navies of Norway, Denmark, and Canada, this dissertation asks how the EEZ directly and indirectly affected their force structures and sea control operations and whether smaller navies consistently differ from larger one, which tackles the dearth of literature on smaller navies and peacetime naval operations. This dissertation finds that while all three Arctic states created and exploited the 200 NM zones, only Norway developed notably increased constabulary seapower inputs for controlling its blue water offshore area. For Denmark, its colonial territories in the North Atlantic meant its navy already had the constabulary fleet and organizational infrastructure necessary to control its EEZ even as its warfighting fleet focused on Baltic operations. Meanwhile, Canada could depend on its pre-existing blue water warfighting fleet to serve as ad hoc constabulary platforms for legally-endowed civilian fisheries officers. Despite these differences in each country’s force structures, the actual operations of all three countries’ navies would converge in the post-Cold War era, which called for overseas expeditionary missions in accordance with alliance interests. For the two smaller navies of Norway and Denmark, such missions were carried out with the same constabulary forces originally designed for EEZ concerns as they were the ones with the necessary blue water characteristics. In contrast, Canada already had a fleet of naval vessels that were suitable for such expeditionary operations due to its focus on blue water antisubmarine warfare. By the early 2010s, all three countries would have the necessary warfighting assets to operate in expeditionary roles, though only Canada would have the numbers required to do so on a continuous basis. However, rising geopolitical tensions and climate change’s effect on increasing activity in and around these countries’ EEZs is leading to a convergence of warfighting and constabulary requirements in these northern seas close to home.
- ItemOpen AccessOut of Sight, Out of Mind: The United States Navy and Mine Warfare in the 21st Century(2013-09-04) Choi, Timothy Hiu-Tung; Huebert, RobThis thesis analyzes the adequacy of the United States Navy (USN) when facing an enemy employing naval mines in a narrow waterway in the 21st century. Recent threats by the Islamic Republic of Iran to “close” the Strait of Hormuz and its oil traffic make the issue of mine warfare especially poignant, given the significant role mines have played in that region over the last thirty years. This thesis argues the USN’s technological efforts at improving its mine countermeasures (MCM) capabilities since the end of the Cold War have been insufficient. An examination of MCM development efforts seeks to explain why such a crucial warfare capability remains lacking, and a historical comparative approach with the Dardanelles campaign in the First World War is used to illustrate the strategic significance of naval mines, as well as challenges the USN may face in attempting to reopen a mined Strait of Hormuz.