Talking Geopolitics Will the US Face a Major War in the Next Decade? George Friedman on US Naval Readiness
Aug 21, 2025
George Friedman, an internationally recognized geopolitical forecaster and founder of Geopolitical Futures, delves into U.S. naval readiness and its implications for future conflicts. He discusses the evolution of U.S. military strategy from land-based engagements to potential naval confrontations. Friedman emphasizes the importance of maintaining dominance in the Atlantic theatre, as rising tensions in the Eastern Hemisphere may challenge that supremacy. Will the fleet face a major war in the next decade? His insights provide a thought-provoking analysis.
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Sea Control As The Foundation Of U.S. Security
- Command of the seas underpins U.S. safety and global options.
- Losing maritime dominance would remove the U.S. ability to retreat behind oceans and limit strategic choices.
Cold War Submarine Gap Example
- Friedman recounts the Soviet push into the Atlantic via the Greenland-Iceland-UK gap.
- He describes building massive submarine-detection systems like Sirtas to counter that threat.
Strategy Emerges From Imperatives
- Strategy derives from national imperatives and necessity, not abstract policy.
- Friedman uses Russian invasion of Ukraine as an example of predictable geopolitical imperatives.
