Naval warfare

Naval warfare is the use of armed maritime forces to fight wars at sea, along coasts, and against shipping or maritime infrastructure.

Sea control: The ability to use a maritime area for one’s purposes while limiting an opponent’s use of it. It is the central operational aim that lets fleets move, supply forces, and protect shipping.
Warship: A vessel built or equipped for military operations at sea. Warships are the principal platforms through which naval forces fight and exert presence.
Battle of Salamis: A 480 BCE naval battle in which a Greek fleet defeated the Persian fleet in the straits near Salamis. The confined waters helped a smaller Greek force exploit Persian numerical superiority.
Land warfare: Armed conflict conducted primarily by forces operating on land. Unlike land campaigns, naval operations often hinge on access to routes and waters rather than holding terrain.
Maritime trade: The transport and exchange of goods by sea between ports and regions. Naval campaigns can protect, interrupt, or redirect the shipping on which economies depend.
Sea denial: The ability to prevent an opponent from using a maritime area without necessarily controlling it oneself. It offers a weaker fleet a way to obstruct an enemy’s use of the sea.
Aircraft carrier: A warship designed to operate military aircraft at sea. Carriers extend a fleet’s ability to strike and defend beyond the range of land-based aircraft.
Battle of Trafalgar: An 1805 naval battle in which the British fleet defeated the combined French and Spanish fleets. Its outcome secured British command of the sea during the Napoleonic Wars.
Air warfare: Armed conflict conducted primarily by aircraft and other forces operating in the air domain. Aircraft can strike across maritime distances, but naval forces also control movement and sustain operations at sea.
Chokepoint: A narrow passage through which a large share of a route or flow must pass. Control or disruption of straits and canals can affect shipping far beyond the immediate battle area.

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