The fundamentals of sea power

The fundamentals of sea power

04 Nov 25
Posted by: Cdr Andrew Livsey RN
10 minutes, 3 seconds read
Message from the Editor

The author reviews some principles of sea power, highlighting the differences between land and maritime-based operations and tactics. A 10 minute read.

Like many people I left BRNC Dartmouth unable to explain the fundamentals of sea power. I am sure that Dartmouth is better today, but there will still be pressure on syllabus time. Moreover, as we return to great power competition, understanding the fundamentals is vital. Accordingly this essay provides a primer, mainly to short circuit for readers the process that took me several decades, but also to spark a debate so that people can tell me I’m wrong. Sea power has many facets. Colin Gray’s point that, “great sea powers or maritime coalitions have either won, or occasionally drawn, every maj…

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