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.

Rear Admiral Raja Menon contends that nations embroiled in Continental wars have historically had poor maritime strategies. He develops the argument that navies that have been involved in such wars have made poor contributions to politial objectives, and outlines future strategies.

Forfatteren beskriver den amerikanske sømilitære strategi i 1980'erne og diskuterer den set i et historisk perspektiv, herunder overvejelser om, hvordan fremtidens sømilitære strategier ville se ud.

Julian Corbett wrote this treatise in 1911, but the principles upon which it is founded, notably that naval strategy should be seen as a means to an end, & that this end should be the effective use of sea lines of communication & the denial of same to the enemy, remain sound today.

This book, first published in 1986, argues that there is a special category of medium powers in the world – such as Britain, France, India, Brazil, Japan, China and others – which have sufficient military power to do something to protect their interests but which are not a match for the superpowers. It surveys the whole range of naval warfare – equipment, operations, organisation and deployment – and discusses how each item should be tailored by the recognition of the position of the medium power. It considers alliances, a key element for medium powers, and explores how these should be handled and what use they may be expected to fulfil. The book argues that the concept of medium power, here developed thoroughly for the first time, will be extremely useful to many countries in defining their strategic role in a purposeful way.

This book seeks to identify and address gaps in our understanding of maritime security and the role of small navies in Europe. The majority of Europe’s navies are small, yet they are often called upon to address a complex array of traditional and non-traditional threats. This volume examines the role of small navies within the European security architecture, by discussing areas of commonality and difference between navies, and arguing that it is not possible to fully understand either maritime strategy or European security without taking into account the actions of small navies. It contains a number of case studies that provide an opportunity to explore how different European states view the current security environment and how naval policy has undergone significant changes within the lifetime of the existing naval assets. In addition, the book examines how maritime security and naval development in Europe might evolve, given that economic forecasts will likely limit the potential procurement of ‘larger’ naval assets in the future, which means that European states will increasingly have to do more with less in the maritime domain. This book will be of much interest to students of maritime strategy, naval power, strategic studies, European politics and international relations in general.

This revised, updated and expanded edition of Geoffrey Till's acclaimed textbook provides an invaluable guide for anyone interested in the changing and crucial role of seapower in the 21st century.