Command of the sea

Command of the sea is the ability to use maritime forces to control sea routes and prevent an adversary from using them. It can be local or temporary rather than universal or permanent.

Sea control: The ability to use a maritime area for military purposes while limiting an adversary’s use of it. It describes the practical, often limited form command takes in a particular place and time.
Alfred Thayer Mahan: An American naval officer and historian whose writings argued that sea power shaped national influence and war. Mahan made command of the sea central to his account of naval strength and national power.
Maritime logistics: The planning and movement of people, equipment, and supplies by sea. Control of routes supports friendly resupply and can obstruct an opponent’s.
Battle of Trafalgar: An 1805 naval battle in which a British fleet defeated a French and Spanish fleet near Cape Trafalgar. The victory secured Britain’s naval dominance against Napoleon’s planned invasion.
Sea denial: The ability to prevent an adversary from using a maritime area without securing its own use. It can frustrate an opponent’s command without establishing command for the denying force.
Julian Corbett: A British naval historian and strategist who emphasized maritime strategy’s connection to broader military and political aims. Corbett challenged the idea that command must mean destroying an enemy fleet or controlling every sea.
Sea lines of communication: Maritime routes used to move military forces, supplies, and commercial goods. Their security is a central practical purpose of command.
Battle of Jutland: The largest naval battle of the First World War, fought between British and German fleets in 1916. Its outcome left Britain with command in practice while the German fleet remained a threat.
Fleet in being: A naval force whose continued existence constrains an opponent’s operations even without engaging it. An intact opposing fleet can make command uncertain by threatening a future challenge.
The Influence of Sea Power upon History: Alfred Thayer Mahan’s 1890 study of naval power and its influence on history from 1660 to 1783. This influential work helped popularize command of the sea as a strategic objective.

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