Narrow Seas Small Navies And Fat Merchantmen

According to Charles W. Koburger, Jr., the naval world has been turned upside down and the United States is not prepared for it. Most naval thought has been written for large blue water ships isolated on the open sea. But low-intensity conflicts--insurgencies, counterinsurgencies, terrorism, regional hostilities--smolder and flare around the world. Naval war is now frequently fought in narrow landbound seas where everything and everybody is involved. Modern technology, with its increased firepower, has given smaller ships, and thereby smaller navies, an impact far out of proportion to their size, particularly in these narrow seas. Koburger's thesis: the growing importance of both narrow seas and lesser navies has caused a major shift in the balance of sea power. His conclusion: the United States must develop tactics and weapons that will win wars in the narrow seas. Narrow Seas, Small Navies, and Fat Merchantmen examines the impact of these small navies on the ships, planes, and tactics of big navies. Presenting a clear image of these lesser navies, Koburger also provides definitions of common naval concepts in nontechnical terms. Divided into three parts this volume first looks at small navies, then describes their characteristic operations, and concludes by outlining implications of this naval revolution for United States' maritime strategy. Past naval failures in the narrow seas serve to highlight the politico-military value of Koburger's study. It will be of great use to military tacticians, naval strategists, and students of modern military strategy.

Military geography, one of several subsets within those broad confines, concentrates on the influence of physical and cultural environments over political-military policies, plans, programs, and combat/support operations of all types in global, regional, and local contexts. Key factors displayed in table 1 directly (sometimes decisively) affect the full range of military activities: strategies, tactics, and doctrines; command, control, and organizational structures; the optimum mix of land, sea, air, and space forces; intelligence collection; targeting; research and development; the procurement and allocation of weapons, equipment, and clothing; plus supply, maintenance, construction, medical support, education, and training.

An examination of geography's critical effects on battles throughout the ages

This updated new edition of Understanding Naval Warfare offers the reader an accessible introduction to the study of modern naval warfare, providing a thorough grounding in the vocabulary, concepts, issues and debates, set within the context of relevant history. The third edition explains traditional concepts and explores current and emerging ideas concerning the theory and practice of naval warfare, relating these to recent events including Sino-American naval competition and the Russian-Ukraine War. Navies operate in an environment that most people do not understand and that many avoid. They are equipped with a bewildering range of ships, craft and other vessels and types of equipment, the purpose of which is often unclear. Writings on naval warfare are usually replete with references to esoteric concepts explained in specialist language that can serve as a barrier to understanding. This book cuts through the obscure and the arcane to offer a clear, coherent and accessible guide to the key features of naval warfare which will equip the reader with the knowledge and understanding necessary for a sophisticated engagement with the subject. The new edition is divided into two key parts. The first focuses on concepts of naval warfare and introduces readers to the ideas associated with the theory and practice of naval operations and includes a chapter where the history of the last century of naval warfare is explored in order to illustrate the key concepts. The second part focuses on the conduct of war at sea and on peacetime roles for contemporary navies and now includes new material on hybrid warfare and grey zone operations and on joint warfare, multi-domain operations and integrated deterrence within the context of evolving great power rivalry at sea. This textbook will be essential reading for students of naval warfare, sea power and maritime security and is highly recommended for those studying military history, strategic studies and security studies in general.

This edited volume analyses the naval arms race in South-East Asia, and reviews the content, purposes and consequences of the naval policies and development of the main countries of the region. The rise of naval capability in the countries of the Asia-Pacific Region is increasingly recognised as a major indicator of the ‘rise of Asia’ and its increasing importance in the world’s political, economic and strategic future. Most coverage focusses solely on the navies of the 'big four' – the US, China, India and Japan; however, the region’s other navies, though much smaller, are significant too. Given the current focus on the South China Sea and the Obama administration’s pivot to Asia, naval development in South-East Asia is of particular relevance. This book first identifies the issues involved in defence acquisition in this area. It then goes on to establish some templates of naval modernisation as a means of assessing the policies of individual countries in the region, by looking at the naval policies of the big four. Finally, the general issue of naval modernisation in South-East Asia is illustrated through a more detailed examination of some of the major issues common to all countries of the area. These include the defence-industrial perspective, specific examinations of submarine and surface ship acquisition processes, and a review of the balance to be struck between naval and coastguard forces in the area. This book will be of much interest to students of naval power, maritime security, South-East Asian politics, strategic studies, and IR in general.