Page 220 - MDSL Final

MARITIME DOCTRINE OF SRI LANKA

CHAPTER 11

NAVY PLANNING

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need
not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know
yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you
will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy
nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”

Sun Tzu

Characteristics of Operational Warfare at Sea

The main characteristics of operational warfare at sea, as compared
with tactical actions are larger dimensions of time, space and force.
The principal reason for these differences is the scale of an operational
or strategic objective compared to a tactical objective. Major naval
operations and maritime campaigns are conducted in a large part of the
theatre; in contrast, naval combat is conducted in a much smaller part
of a given maritime theatre.

Maritime campaigns and major naval operations require much more
time to plan, prepare, execute and complete than do naval tactical
actions. A naval battle or engagement can be concluded in a matter of
hours, while a major naval operation is conducted over several days or
even weeks.

In the modern era, the application of operational warfare at and
from the sea is predominantly a multiservice (joint) and often a
multinational (combined) effort. A maritime campaign or major naval
operation encompasses several major overlapping phases, while a naval
tactical action usually does not include any clear break in fighting. The
operational commanders make planning assumptions about a number

200 To Nurture a Stable Environment at Sea