ABSTRACT
The objectives comprise the very heart of the art of war. In the time of war, a positive political objective is aimed at gaining control or capturing additional territory, while a negative objective aims at retaining or preventing such control. After the political objectives of a war are determined, the next step is to derive military-strategic objectives as well. Normally in war between a land and sea power, the principal strategic objective is almost without exception on land. Military-strategic and naval strategic objectives are closely related. Properly selected naval objectives must directly contribute to the accomplishment of the military-strategic objectives of a war as a whole. The number of theater-strategic objectives principally depends on whether a war is global or regional in scale. Tasks are those measurable entities that allow the commander to properly determine the rate of progress toward the accomplishment of a given military objective.
