What type of operation is typically involved in surface warfare?

Surface warfare primarily involves surface engagements, which are combat operations conducted at or near the surface of the water, typically featuring naval ships engaging each other or targeting surface forces and maritime assets. This focus on engagements between surface naval vessels represents one of the core elements of surface warfare, encompassing tactics, strategies, and technology related to defeating surface threats while ensuring the survivability and effectiveness of one’s own forces.

In surface warfare, naval strategies often include missile strikes, naval gunfire, carrier strike group operations, and various forms of maritime defense against other naval assets. The emphasis is on the direct confrontation and maneuverability of surface vessels rather than operations conducted beneath the water, in the air, or logistics planning, which are characteristic of submarine operations, airborne assaults, and joint logistics, respectively. Each of these alternatives addresses specific domains of naval and military operations but does not align directly with the primary focus of surface warfare, which is engagement between surface ships.