September 08 2016.
DRDC published a very interesting paper by Ben Lombardi in May 2016 -- "The Future Maritime Operating Environment and the Role of Naval Power." The author concludes that maritime issues will be increasingly prominent in the 21st century, far more so than the last decades of the 20th century. Lombardi argues that "Increasing exploitation of marine resources and reliance on the maritime realm to sustain populations and to support socio-economic development are leading to
an entwining of ecological stresses and political frictions." And add to this the growing maritime presence of China, and we have increased attention on maritime and naval issues.
You can read the article at https://cradpdf.drdc-rddc.gc.ca/PDFS/unc230/p803867_A1b.pdf