Final answer:
Alfred T. Mahan advocated for the United States to increase the size and strength of its navy to become a world power, a concept outlined in his influential book. This approach significantly shaped U.S. naval policy and helped transform America into a major naval force. The correct statement is to increase the size and strength of its navy.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Alfred T. Mahan, in order for the U.S. to become a world power, it needed to increase the size and strength of its navy. Mahan, a naval theorist and historian, emphasized the importance of naval power in his book The Influence of Sea Power upon History, 1660-1783.
He asserted that national greatness was contingent upon a strong navy, a productive industrial economy, and a fleet engaged in international commerce. Alongside advocating for a powerful modern navy, he also recommended the establishment of strategic military bases and the construction of a canal through Central America. Mahan's theories significantly shaped American naval policy and influenced figures such as Theodore Roosevelt, ultimately leading the U.S. to construct a larger, modern fleet and to rise as a major naval power by the end of the 1890s.