Revitalizing Privateering: Cost-effective Commerce Raiding in an ERA of Great Power Competition
Abstract
Operational maritime leaders lack a cost-effective, non/low-kinetic means to degrade the force concentration of peer rivals executing an anti-access / area-denial (A2AD) strategy. A supplementary effort is needed to draw enemy combat forces away from their bastions without decreasing U.S. combat power flowing into theater. Leveraging enemy weaknesses regarding economic dependencies on the maritime domain against the U.S./allied global reach will create a strategic distraction in support of main combat efforts. New (or in this case old) techniques are needed to make up for this relative force deficiency without further taxing U.S. combat force requirements. Privateering provides a novel, unexpected change to the enemy's calculus forcing them to venture beyond their preferred defensive areas or face potential economic hardships. Privateering will not win the fight on its own, but it will make it more likely for the U.S. to achieve victory.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 12, 2019
- Accession Number
- AD1077964
Entities
People
- William L. Grenoble
Organizations
- Naval War College