CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES (continued)
Shifting Demographics
World population will continue to grow, especially in developing countries, elevating the demand for transportation of commodities and consumer goods and increasing consumption of the ocean’s resources. The U.S. population will climb to more than 320 million by 2020, largely due to rising immigration and decreasing death rates. Population shifts to America’s coastal areas will exceed national rates, with the south and west experiencing the most development pressures and waterways congestion. The demographics of America’s workforce with respect to age, gender, and minorities will change by 2020. These trends will necessitate new approaches to workforce recruitment and retention, as well as adjustments in the ways that relationships with customers and stakeholders are built and sustained. Greater numbers of America’s workforce entrants will be immigrants and women. Changes in family structures will compel employers to balance work and family with flexible hours, expanded out-of-home child care, and other quality-of-life programs.
Technology Revolutions
Profound advances in information and communications technologies will expand the ability to project maritime presence; to analyze, interpret and integrate data; and to coordinate responses to emergencies and other contingencies. A new Command, Control, Communications, Computer, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C 4 ISR) architecture will enable joint operations by the U.S. Armed Forces. Tagging and tracking technologies will facilitate real-time surveillance of vessels and cargoes and improve contraband detection. Sensors, precision navigation systems, remotely piloted vehicles, and satellite communications will provide force-multiplying advantages to friends and adversaries alike who operate in the maritime sector. Worldwide networks will link individuals, governments, and businesses in near-seamless webs. Information, a capital commodity, will require "knowledge" workers for whom telecommuting and teleconferencing will be routine. "Virtual reality"and computer simulations will enhance system design, prototyping, and training. "Smart" materials with imbedded sensors will become common, while computer-based tools will shrink time and cost to market.
Finite Resources and Fragile Environments
The demand for food, especially protein, and public sensitivity to environmental issues will prompt protective actions to prevent over-exploitation of the sea’s resources. Globally, fish stocks will decline to near extinction if overfishing and habitat destruction continue unabated. High seas migratory species will require cooperative international and regional protection. Expanded aquaculture will meet part of the world’s increasing demand for fish products, but that, too, will generate concerns for the environment. Marine sanctuaries and specially designated zones will help minimize environmental damage in coastal regions. New technologies will allow economical remediation and restoration of polluted marine areas. Increased need for energy will stimulate oil and gas drilling in areas beyond the U. S. continental shelf more than 350 miles off shore and in depths greater than 2,000 feet. Global warming will affect the frequency, duration, and severity of extreme weather events and impact ice stability in the polar regions. Arctic research, tourism, and energy exploration will accelerate.
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Created: August
1998