Recognizing that total control of the seas is not practical, then
Vice Admiral Stansfield Turner coined the phrase "sea control" to connote "more realistic control in limited areas
and for limited periods of time."
British Maritime Doctrine applies these boundary conditions and introduces
the notion of purpose.
Sea control is the condition in which one has freedom of action
to use the sea for one's own purposes in specified areas and for specified periods of time and, where necessary, to deny or
limit its use to the enemy...
a first step in developing such a methodology would be to propose a subjective
analytical framework based on sea-control levels, such as the following:
* Unopposed: Military objectives can be
achieved without significant losses.
* Opposed: Military objectives can be achieved,
but losses may be significant.
* Denied: Military objectives cannot be achieved and/or
there is a high probability of unacceptable losses.
Levels of sea control should be considered
in the context of objectives and can be referenced as either an assessment of the operating environment or as a strategy...
While there appears to be an infinite range of elements to assess in determining
a navy's sea control potential, the following five provide a starting point
* Capacity:
The combat power a force can bring to bear in a local operations area—a critical factor in attrition warfare.
* Capability: The attributes a force possesses that determine its potential to disrupt an adversary.
* Information Dominance: The situational understanding required to operate forces with relative advantage
under dynamic circumstances.
* Tactical Readiness: A force's ability to perform its
assigned missions effectively in battle as a function of tactics, training, and procedures.
* Maneuver
Space: The constraints and conditions within which a naval force must operate.
Since these elements are neither discrete nor unique to sea control, it
is within the context of the objective that they become relevant.
