Large Scale Strategies
The world's surface is covered in ocean, making up approximately 70% of the earth's surface, and the natural buoyancy of naval craft and the relatively still and flat surface of the water makes transportation of large vessels to any location in the world relatively easy. While naval vessels possess a number of tremendous advantages, their primary disadvantage is a general inability to go on to land. While certain naval vessels possess limited capabilities to move on land, most notably landers or airboats, they generally cannot go very far inland. To avoid total bombardment of allied positions, individuals with more finesse, including infantry, are generally sent in to neutralize the threat with as little collateral damage as possible, with Naval Vessels often working in conjunction with these forces to prevent losing the lives of innocent people. However, due to their ability to transport thousands of tons of cargo, ability to stay operational for months on end, and provide everything up to areal bombardment nearly anywhere in the world at a moments notice, Naval Craft by themselves are crucial in modern combat, and form the core logistical basis for modern military campaigns.
In general, modern naval combat is determined by the success of aircraft carrier battle groups. While aircraft carriers themselves form the core unit of Naval combat, the entire Naval Carrier battle group is a system, incorporating multiple craft and units to ensure success in a wide variety of situations by providing both unique capabilities and raw numbers. Unlike many wars fought in the past, battleships rarely determine the success of naval operations in modern warfare, in large part due to the limited range and power of large artillery. Instead of relying on a 15 mile range cannon, they can deploy multiple aircraft, themselves capable of complex movement and maneuvering, to hover over enemy positions, and with pint point accuracy drop multiple 2000+ pound explosives or torpedoes, capable of crippling enemy craft of varying size and range. The range, speed, and raw power far exceeds that of any battleship of comparable size, with hundreds if not thousands of miles of power projection available, far exceeding the range and power of any battleship, in addition to the accuracy. Dozens of aircraft capable of carrying several explosives, and the individual skill of pilots and advanced guidance systems gliding the explosives and missiles to the target. Rather than a single vessel, carrier groups incorporate multiple defensive parameters, including scout aircraft, submarines, destroyers, cruisers, and a multitude of support craft, capable of providing several layers of defense and protection, with the more vulnerable aircraft carrier protecting the other craft via aircraft, and the submarines providing immediate protection from enemy vessels sufficiently submerged or cloaked to get within range of the carrier itself. The power projection capabilities of a single carrier group involve the ability to launch hundreds of missiles thousands of miles, over 100 aircraft on dozens of bombing raids, with the deployment of each aircraft taking just 7 seconds, and to maintain this at sea for several months on end. With massive reserve stockpiles and nuclear power plants, their ability to wage war is limited only by the necessity of restocking fuel for aircraft and food for passengers over a period of several years; an aircraft carrier could remain at sea for well over a decade if needed, although ships are generally restocked with supplies approximately every 6 months.
Despite this, Battleships and long range artillery are making somewhat of a come back, exploiting the light weight and far range nature of incredibly powerful railguns. Exploiting the existing nuclear power plants on many ships, railguns offer the potential to out perform missiles or aircraft by their sheer size and ease of use, which are much smaller, cheaper, and easier to use than similar alternatives. Traveling at incredibly high velocities, energy's far exceeding any explosive are possible, and with the addition of satellite and complex computer guidance, railgun ammunition can strike their targets with pin point accuracy. Unlike chemical weapons, such as most firearms, railguns velocities are not determined by the quality and size of propellant, and can be powered entirely by electricity, allowing them to sap onboard power from the nuclear power plants to run themselves. Dependent only on 7 kilogram ammunition, they can stockpile thousands of rounds of ammunition, and fire at targets hundreds of miles away at velocities well over 7,000 meters per second. Combined with additional counter measures such as torpedoes, cruise missiles, and stealth capabilities, these craft can provide a niche role to augment carrier fleets, but still maintain a secondary role. Typically, however, destroyers, or cruisers, which launch missiles, are considered the replacement for battleship out on the open sea.
BlockadeBlockades not only prevent the enemy forces from leaving to attack another country's homeland, but also prevent the spread of goods into the country not specifically authorized by the blockading miltiary's forces. An enemy with a weaker or even absent Navy would suffer from logistical supply lines being cut off or when attempting to run away with a proper blockade in place. A blockade is prudent to allow supplies essential for survival into the country, as to prevent unnecessary civilian or even enemy death.
However, controlling the resources into a country is incredibly important, as without such control, the enemy can gain resources unfettered.
Power projectionThis capability is not only an amazing ability but an incredible psychological tool as well. Being capable of projecting large amounts of troops or forces into combat relatively quickly allows for a modern force to invade quickly and without question, rapidly and powerfully enough, as to prevent any issues with an invasion, thus making their enemy's think carefully about their aggressive decisions.
This kind of capability not only gives the Manokan force the ability to engage their enemy forces, but prevent future conflicts through sheer superiority. Being predominately Naval based, the infantry, tanks, and other such ground forces are easily able to deploy from the water, being based around this premise of a mobile offensive force capable of operating anywhere in the world.
BombardmentWhile largely carried out by aircraft carriers, railguns and cruise missiles are capable of long range engagements as well, potentially cheaper than ordinary bombardment by planes. It is also possible to quickly deploy troops, whether paratroopers or special forces units, from these units. Thus, Naval Bombardment can be a consistent and easy way to ensure success, even at long ranges.
If rail guns that can achieve escape velocity with enough range ever fully develop, then rounds with significantly farther ranges may become a more common reality, and reduce the over-all price of long range bombardment.
Green water OperationsNaval capacities don't only need to be limited to sea water operations. Fresh water operations are available to the Navy, albeit only with smaller ships. Controlling key rivers and streams, paramount to social structures, such as the Nile or Mississippi river, can allow the Navy to control trade, commerce, and transportation farther inland and in key areas than otherwise available to just sea water operations.
Thus, deployment of special operations in these areas and small gunboats is essential to the over-all containment of the enemy.
Vessel TypesAircraft CarrierA large craft, designed to carry aircraft; typically the largest and most expensive ships of any military, super carriers can carry approximately 70-100 aircraft, while ordinary aircraft carriers, while largely, typically can only carry approximately 20-40 aircraft. These ships typically have a runway and landing bay, where hooks are designed to catch the aircraft from falling off the ship, and launch modules speed up the flight of the aircraft so they don't need excessively long run ways. Not actually long enough to allow take off like with an ordinary run way, these aircraft need additional propulsion (such as through a catapult) in order to fly. Other modifications, such as vertical or short take off and landing aircraft make this job somewhat easier.
Your average super carrier is approximately 100,000 tons, and around 5 billion dollars, with an additional 1 billion per year to operate.
Amphibious assault shipSimilar to an aircraft carrier, these craft are designed to carry landers and other ground vehicles, including infantry, into combat. While they possess some aircraf,t the usually are responsible for carrying ground units.
BattleshipWhile largely phased out, these large, powerful craft utilize cannons to destroy other naval craft or large structures. Bested in range, power, and versatility by aircraft carriers, they are of little use in modern combat.
The exception to this is missile based platforms and extremely long range rail guns. With the ability to send rounds into space and land back down on earth some thousands of miles away, utilizing tiny projectiles at very high velocities, they can deliver substantially higher power and range, with accuracy from guidance systems from aircraft and satellites, and thus form a niche for long range canon based weaponry. Being mobile, a range of a few thousand miles is all that's necessary to bombard a given area.
SubmarineThe core of attack units, these devices are submersible and go under water for prolonged periods of time. While large subs, mini subs, and tiny subs exist, they all have different parameters and capabilities. Capable of destroying naval targets with torpedo and remaining stealthy, or capable of destroying ground targets with missiles, submarines are the most powerful and hardest to fight attack crafts in existence. Nuclear submarines can remain in operation for many years without refueling or docking, and remain under water as well, meaning they can continuously operate in a given environment with little issue.
Mini submarinesMini submarines are small submarines designed to attack small craft, such as patrol ships or make ship water craft. With small submarines, low pressure depths, and other issues, they are largely expensive attack or transport craft. Ranging from deap sea recovery to transport ships for special forces, these craft have the particular advantage of being small, potentially so small so as to appear to be whales, to avoid detection by enemy sonar systems. Due to their size, limitations in range and endurance are compounded, particularly with oxygen, and thus they are of limited effectiveness in continuous combat. They do however, provide substantial advantage against other surface born water craft, and thus are ideal for light engagements.
DestroyerA fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. While canons were used in the past, these days destroyers utilize missiles, and lay low to the ground to avoid detection. At times, blurring the line between the effectiveness of a submarine, they are designed to remain out of sight, but provide the numerous advantages of being above water, including open air and the ease of troop survival. Thus, even with the same nuclear reactors, they can stand to be much bigger and powerful, at the expense of not being able to go under water.
CruiserA cruiser is a type of direct combat warship. By the early 20th century, cruisers could be placed on a consistent scale of warship size, smaller than a battleship but larger than a destroyer. Thus, they are essentially small battleships. This mid class allows for more to be developed and deployed, at the expense of power, usually for the advantage of mobility and speed. Thus, these craft supplement the more powerful aircraft carriers and battleships.
GunboatSmall patrol crafts, designed to engage enemy ships with light weapons. While they can engage enemy targets, such as fishing boats and other craft, with ease, typically advanced gunboats are designed to take on these make shift craft, with larger more powerful weapons, such as 20 or 40mm guns. They as well can be useful against helicopters, given a wider array of weapons.
LanderA device designed to land craft or people on to a beach. At times, they can have limited landing abilities, while at others they can traverse over objects and travel several hundred yards onto the sand itself. Designed to connect boats with the sand, they are essentially ship to shore connectors,
Given their over-all designs, usually they have very little endurance and need to be transported by larger craft. This however, can often be alleviated by launching from a close proximity to the enemy. The ability to clear mines and other obstacles can be difficult, or very easy with the right craft. They do however, serve as a bulk transportation unit, and thus are invaluable.
