6 The frontal ramming technique was augmented by the corvus, provided to them by an unknown Sicilian inventor. 5 Instead, they opted for the simplistic stratagem of frontal ramming and boarding used by Corinth in their war against Athens. 4 Rome lacked a nautical tradition and the experience to deploy its fleet using the side-ramming techniques of diekplous and periplus. 3 The Romans would ultimately deploy a staggering 330 ships (an estimated 130,000 men) for battle at Cape Ecnomus. 2 In 260 BCE, Rome built its first 120 ships, copying a beached Carthaginian quinquereme. As China is now, Rome was landlocked by hostile neighbors however, China is well suited for naval expansion due to its geographical position. The inevitable conflict between Carthage and Rome was preordained by the third century BCE. To maintain naval dominance, the United States must understand and embrace the historical importance of modernization and unleash the innovative American spirit that is foundational to a free society. The supremacy of innovation is a universal law of nature. military’s rising tensions with China, its primary geopolitical foe. Ancient lessons of near-peer conflict remain true and provide relevant insight in application today to the U.S. In the space of just four years, they constructed one of the largest global navies, adopted the corvus, and embraced a cohesive naval doctrine that eventually overcame Carthage, the hegemonic Mediterranean power of the day. The Roman military was renowned for its pragmatism. 1 The Romans have effectively turned a sea battle into a land battle, advancing in formation across the impromptu bridge to engage the outmatched Carthaginian marines with their short swords to lethal effect and swiftly overcoming their outnumbered foe. A pulley is released, dropping the Roman corvus, its spike penetrating deeply into the Carthaginian deck and locking the two ships into a fierce struggle. Employing the periplus side-ramming tactic, the Carthaginian ship has made a fatal error by impacting too closely to the bow of the Roman ship. The Carthaginian crew reverses course with a command to disentangle itself from its mortally wounded victim. The impact reverberates throughout both ships as opposing missile troops exchange fire at close range. With a thunderous crash, the ship’s bronze ram pierces its target. Its crew pulls in unison, exerting maximum strength to achieve ramming speed. A Carthaginian quinquereme skims the water in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Sicily.
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