Page 222 - MDSL Final

MARITIME DOCTRINE OF SRI LANKA
Operational warfare at and from the sea is the only means of orchestrating
and tying together naval tactical actions within a larger design that
directly contributes to the objectives set by strategy. A tactical concept
for the employment of one’s maritime forces cannot lead to victory
if it is not an integral part of a broader operational concept. Sound
sequencing and synchronisation of all military and non-military sources
of power are necessary to accomplish strategic or operational objectives
in a given maritime theatre through planning and execution of maritime
campaigns and major naval operations.

Navy Planning Overview

Navy planning is a comprehensive process that facilitates commanders
and staffs at all levels to make informed decisions, solve multifaceted
problems and ultimately achieve assigned missions. Navy planning
is critical at every level of warfare (strategic, operational and tactical)
and across the range of military operations, regardless of the adversary
or threat. Military planning can be applied whether conditions permit
a lengthy, deliberate process or if the situation forces a compressed
timeline. Furthermore, military planning is also applicable to the full
range of military operations where the adversary, for planning purposes,
may be an environmental condition.

Navy planning is the process by which a commander envisages an end
state as well as the arrangement of potential actions in time and space
that will allow the realisation of that future. Planning is a way of figuring
out how to move from the current state to a more desirable future state.
Specifically, planning helps commanders and staffs formulate ways
to coordinate the actions of a force, generate a common situational
awareness and develop expectations as to how the dynamic interaction
of forces will affect the outcome of an operation. Most of all, planning
is essential to a commander because it aids in handling the complexities
in the operational environment (OE) and the numerous uncertainties
inherent in warfare. Planning involves projecting our thoughts forward
in time and space to influence events before they occur rather than
merely responding to events as they occur.

202 To Nurture a Stable Environment at Sea