Understanding naval warfare

"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 type 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 than 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 highly recommended for those studying military history, strategic studies and security studies in general"--

Part 1. Concepts of naval warfare and maritime power -- The nature of the maritime operating environment -- Maritime strategy and naval warfare 1 -- Maritime strategy and naval warfare 2 -- Naval diplomacy -- Putting theory into practice -- Contemporary practice -- Combat operations at sea: sea control and sea denial -- Combat operations at sea: exploiting sea control -- Combat operations from the sea -- Maritime security and the maintenance of good order at sea -- Part 2. Contemporary naval policy and future practice -- Conclusion -- Appendix One: Maritime warfare areas -- Appendix Two: Abbreviations for types of ship and submarine -- Appendix Three: A sample of world navies in 2017

Introduction -- The nature of the maritime operating environment -- Maritime strategy and naval warfare I -- Maritime strategy and naval warfare II -- Naval diplomacy -- Putting theory into practice -- Combat operations at sea : sea control and sea denial -- Combat operations at sea : exploiting sea control -- Combat operations from the sea -- Maritime security and the maintenance of good order at sea -- Contemporary naval policy and future practice -- Conclusion.

"This new textbook offers the reader an accessible introduction to the study of modern naval warfare, providing a thorough grounding in the vocabulary, concepts, issues, debates and relevant history. The book includes an examination of relevant historical battles and campaigns, including numerous case studies but is not a narrative history of war at sea. Rather, it offers a thematic, debate-driven analysis of the key features of naval warfare and of the interaction of the maritime with the land and air environments informed by, and illustrated with reference to, relevant history. While the focus will remain on activity at and from the sea, the book will reflect on the 'joint' (inter-service) nature of most modern naval operations and activities. The main focus of the book will be on modern naval warfare, defined here as warfare in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Detailed case studies of key battles and campaigns will be provided to support the analysis, and are accompanied by maps, diagrams and illustrations. Many of these case studies will relate to the activities of the US Navy and the British Royal Navy, but the book also addresses the role and experience of smaller naval forces.The book is divided into two parts. The first focuses on 'concepts of naval warfare' and introduces readers to the key concepts and ideas associated with the theory and practice of naval operations. The second part focuses on the conduct of war at sea, and also on peacetime roles for contemporary navies. This section concludes with a chapter that looks ahead to the likely future of naval warfare, assessing whether navies are likely to be more or less useful than in the past. Understanding Naval Warfare will be essential reading for students of naval warfare, seapower and maritime security, and highly recommended for students of military history, strategic studies and security studies in general"--