Analysis - From Syria to South China Sea, navies cruise back into vogue

Chinese navy's guided missile destroyer Haikou (171) is seen at the Ngong Shuen Chau Naval Base in Hong Kong in this April 30, 2012 file photo. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/Files

LONDON (Reuters) - After a quarter century of Middle Eastern land wars and a sharp fall in big powers' naval spending after the Cold War, sea power is back in vogue in response to the rise of China and Western reluctance to deploy ground troops in conflicts like Syria.

The greater interest in navies is being felt from the corridors of Washington to the pirate hunting grounds off Africa and the shipyards of Asia.