ABSTRACT
Any major naval operation and maritime campaign consist of a number of elements that need to be considered separately and then integrated in order to achieve the ultimate objective. A major navy can greatly reduce the time for operational deployment by permanently deploying significant naval forces close to the scene of potential hostilities. Concentration of superior combat potential at the right time and place is the main prerequisite for successful conduct of war at sea. Sometimes concentration of one's naval forces may be the fruit of calculated dispersal. An important element of any combat employment of naval forces is a maneuver—the movement of one's forces aimed at obtaining a positional advantage relative to the enemy's forces. In a war at sea, fire is used prior to and during an amphibious landing/anti-amphibious defense and as part of naval support of both offensive and defensive operations by ground forces in the coastal area.
