FLEETINBEING

Fleet in being

In naval warfare, a "fleet in being" is a naval force that extends a controlling influence without ever leaving port. Were the fleet to leave port and face the enemy, it might lose in battle and no longer influence the enemy's actions, but while it remains safely in port, the enemy is forced to continually deploy forces to guard against it. A "fleet in being" can be part of a sea denial doctrine, but not one of sea control.

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fleet in being

Noun

  1. A naval fleet which exerts an influence while remaining in port.
    It should instead have been saved as a reserve force, a fleet in being, as long as possible, and then committed in a Riskflotte operation at a key juncture, striking a decisive blow even if it involved its sacrifice.


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: fleet in being
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

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