This book focuses on the theory and practice of maritime strategy and operations by the weaker powers at sea.
Illustrated by examples from naval and military history, the book explains and analyzes the strategies of the weaker side at sea in both peacetime and wartime; in defense versus offense; the main prerequisites for disputing control of the sea; and the conceptual framework of disputing control of the sea. It also explains and analyzes in some detail the main methods of disputing sea control - avoiding/seeking decisive encounters, weakening enemy naval forces over time, counter-containment of enemy naval forces, destroying the enemy's military-economic potential at sea, attacks on the enemy coast, defense of the coast, defense/capturing important positions/basing areas, and defense/capturing of a choke point. A majority of the world's navies are currently of small or medium-size. In the case of a war with a much stronger opponent, they would be strategically on the defensive, and their main objective then would be to dispute control of the sea by a stronger side at sea. This book provides a practical guide to such a strategy.
This book would be of much interest to students of naval power, maritime security, strategic studies and military/naval history.
Author(s): Milan Vego
Series: CASS Series: Naval Policy and History 62
Publisher: Routledge
Year: 2019
Language: English
Pages: xx+328
Cover
Half Title
Series Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
List of Maps
Preface
List of Abbreviations
Chapter 1: Strategic framework
Stronger vs. weaker side
Maritime strategy in peacetime
Maritime strategy in a war
Notes
Chapter 2: Defense vs. offensive
Importance
Defense vs. offense
Active vs. passive defense
Defensive and offensive
Land vs. sea
Notes
Chapter 3: Prerequisites
Notes
Chapter 4: Disputing sea control
Operating environment
Characteristics
Dynamics
Main methods
Methods of combat employment
Notes
Chapter 5: Avoiding/seeking a decisive encounter
The roots
The concept
Active fleet-in-being
Passive fleet-in-being
Semi-activefleet-in-being
Seeking a decisive encounter
Notes
Chapter 6: Weakening of the enemy’s naval forces over time
Offensive mining
Notes
Chapter 7: Counter-containment
Strategic diversion
Tying up enemy forces
Notes
Chapter 8: Destroying the enemy’smilitary-economic potential at sea
Requirements
Main methods
Tenets
Notes
Chapter 9: Attack on the enemy’s coast
Notes
Chapter 10: Defense of the coast
Elements
Notes
Chapter 11: Defense/capturing of important positions/basing areas
Notes
Chapter 12: Defense/capturing a choke point
Notes
Select bibliography
Books
Monographs
Articles
Index
