Operational Art and the Submarine: Does the Enemy Understand it Better?
Abstract
Many people have written about how the submarine is an indispensable operational tool for the Commander-in-Chief (CINC) due to its multifunctional capability. While the submarine community lobbies in a parochial fashion about the indispensability of the platform, the truth of how the submarine provides significant operational impact in the purest sense of operational art is somewhat lost. But the Third World has not yet committed this error. This essay demonstrates historically how the concepts of operational art are inherent in the platform through the manipulation of the operational factors of space, time and force. These factors allow the submarine, a tactical platform, to have significant operational impact and influence. Third World countries could feasibly embrace these essential elements and theoretically garnish the decided advantage initially in a littoral conflict. The essay concludes with discussion of what must be done to neutralize this threat within the same operational art framework before one can even consider the majority of tactical roles U.S. submarines are often touted to be capable of.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 13, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA348629
Entities
People
- Joseph B. Pellissier
Organizations
- Naval War College