Chokepoint Control: Operational Challenges for Blue-Water Navies

摘要

The objective of chokepoint control is of overriding importance for nations that wish to project power to distant areas. It is wrongfully assumed by many naval professionals that blue-water navies will in all circumstances prevail over weaker coastal navies. Chokepoint transits represent an operational situation in which a relatively weak navy may defeat a powerful blue-water navy. This is possible because the geography of chokepoints transforms the nature of space-force and time-force relationships in a way that does not favor blue-water navies. A closer study of these relationships reveals how chokepoints elevate the combat potential of small, weak navies. Ultimately, this analysis shows what blue-water navies must do to mitigate the risks associated with chokepoint transit. (16 refs.).