The Yellow Sea: Operational Features of the Physical Environment

Abstract

An analysis of the challenges posed by the operational factor of space in a theater demonstrates its dramatic impact on the employment of naval forces. The environment of an area of ocean: its size, depth, climate and oceanographic properties, combined with the physical and political geography of the surrounding land, determine the survivability and mission effectiveness of naval forces deployed there. This paper will analyze the physical environment of the Yellow Sea in order to demonstrate how the factor of space, and its interplay with force and time, affects the employment of the U.S. Navy's current premier weapon system, the Carrier Strike Group (CSG), in the Korean Theater of Operations. This analysis will then be used to provide the recommendation that the Yellow Sea is not suitable for CSG operations in the initial phase of the joint effort to defeat a North Korean invasion of the Republic of Korea.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 17, 2004
Accession Number
ADA426068

Entities

People

  • Brian C. Mccawley

Organizations

  • Naval War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Asia
  • Databases
  • Defense Industry
  • Environment
  • Geography
  • Korea
  • Military Operations
  • Naval Warfare
  • Navy
  • Northeast Asia
  • Oceans
  • Security
  • United States
  • Universities
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare
  • Yellow Sea

Readers

  • Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.
  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies
  • Oceanography.

Technology Areas

  • Space