As a naval aviator—harboring all the biases that term connotes, forged from years of exhilaration at the reassuring sensation of a hot cat shot and the welcomed tug of the arresting gear on a dark blustery night—I am often asked, “How much longer will carriers be the centerpiece of the U.S. Navy’s tactics?” It seems as if the question of the carrier as sitting duck just won’t go away. A responsible answer must revolve around technology and tactics, and the pages that follow, which treat of these topics extensively, are relevant to the whole issue. The book you are about to read does a masterful job of blending technology and tactics in a historical context. Indeed, it is the most comprehensive and comprehensible of any book on tactics yet written.
Fleet Tactics appears on the scene none too soon. Phenomenal advances in technology over the last few decades have affected virtually every aspect of naval warfare in ways that have not been easy to anticipate. Technological innovations make some systems obsolescent while they are yet in the development stage, before they reach the fleet in significant numbers. This, in addition to the fact that for decades the Soviet Union has been outinvesting the United States in naval forces and defense commitment, has created in our navy a need, unrivaled by that of any time in our history, for the study and mastery of tactics.
When a naval aviator raises the gear on his flying machine he is being catapulted into another dimension, the realm of tactics, one in which he must function until his return to the carrier. Likewise, a submarine skipper passing the harbor entrance outbound sails into a realm that demands a finely honed tactical sense—in his case, as an underwater sailor conducting independent operations, intimate knowledge of his combat systems, the capabilities and limitations of his crew, and the tactical doctrine specified for his ship.
But it is not enough for an individual pilot or commander to be tactically proficient. Today, as in Nelson’s time, all tactical elements must fight as a cohesive team, and tactics must integrate into the whole the best that can be brought to bear by individual units. These, in the future, will most likely include land- and space-based assets. Neither have yet achieved their full potential in the maritime environment. Space systems exist only in embryo: if and when they are developed, it will require of naval professionals tactical skills even more sophisticated than those they yield now.
The demand on today’s naval tactician to be competent in the multiplatform operations of the battle force might be challenged by some who would point out that since World War II we have seen no scenario in which a major naval battle was fought or in which the use of battle force tactics was critical. Some say that the British experience in the Falklands was merely a small-scale test of tacticians’ skills, and that the Arab-Israeli encounters and the U.S. bombing of Libya provide but glimpses into the broad spectrum of naval warfare. However these operations are viewed, we should guard against the insidious tendency to limit our tactical horizons to peacetime evolutions; we should instead seek to understand the ordeal of tomorrow’s technological war at sea, in all its ramifications.
Regrettably, I would contend that we fall prey to the pressures of peacetime priorities, and thus over tactical excellence favor program management, systems acquisition, and—in the absorbing struggle to keep our complex weapon systems ready for action—ship maintenance. While it would be foolhardy to neglect these important areas, it is risky and not in keeping with the lessons of history to permit tactical excellence to play second fiddle to any other needs, however essential. After all, what is the naval profession about if not tactics, tactics, and more tactics? Nothing inspires more excitement in the sailor than the opportunity to exercise his knowledge of his ship and her weapon systems—to demonstrate their full combat potential.
Fleet Tactics is a treasure house of commonsensical guidelines and stimulating ideas. It is not just easy to read, but a joy as well. Captain Hughes, with his literary wand, has transformed what can be a dry topic into a fascinating treatise that will leave the reader with a desire to read it again and again. The five cornerstones—to mention only one set of principles among many in these pages—should be committed to memory and beyond; they should become instinct.
Nor has Captain Hughes failed to accentuate the most vital ingredient of tactics: leadership. At sea, as nowhere else, “men go where their leaders take them.” They survive to fight yet another day and to taste the fruit of victory, or fail, together. Thus they had better learn quickly and well how to operate as a unit. War is the unexpected; and beyond a certain point, war is unimagined violence. Only the best team can cope.
Absorbed study of Fleet Tactics will inspire every dyed-in-the-wool sailor who has not already done so to put tactics in its proper place—first and foremost.
And now to the reader, you have a treat in store. Best wishes for the voyage ahead!
ADMIRAL THOMAS B. HAYWARD