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Introduction[]

Most engagements in DEFCON are decided either directly or indirectly at sea. The player who has naval dominance is able to launch submarine attacks and carrier-based bomber attacks with impunity, as well as significantly expanding their radar coverage. Losing the war at sea will often force a preemptive first strike to salvage points or trigger the timer, which incurs the risk of a resulting counterstrike and Silo destruction.

The sheer number of naval-based missiles are often underestimated; of the 232 nuclear missiles available, 132 are naval-based. Of these, 60 are submarine-based and 72 are carrier-based. Although MRBMs cannot be launched without a selected target, SRBMs and ICMBs can strike empty sea and destroy multiple enemy units.

Units[]

Aircraft Carriers[]

Carriers act as mobile airbases, beginning with 5 Fighters, 2 Bombers, and 4 SRBMs. The initial 12 Carriers have larger radar than battleships and can recover aircraft, automatically loading spare missiles into vacant Bombers. The Carrier has three s: Fighter Launch, Bomber Launch, and Anti-Submarine. It is important to note that the Aircraft Carrier cannot passively defend itself, and if unescorted can be destroyed with ease.

Battleship[]

The Battleship is often used as a shield for the Aircraft Carrier, as it will automatically attack any enemy units within its radius. Unlike the Carrier though, the Battleship cannot detect or attack submarines unless they surface, cannot recover aircraft, and does not carry missiles. The Battleship only has one mode, aptly named "Attack".

Submarine[]

Holding 5 MRBMs each, fragile Submarines move slowly but represent a major threat, and not merely to enemy buildings. Submarines have three modes; Active, Passive, and MRBM Launch. In Passive Mode, Submarines will remain undetected unless they encounter Carriers in Anti-Submarine Mode. Finally, in Active Mode, Submarines will attack enemy ships but expose their own location.

Strategies[]

The Line-of-Battle[]

Arranging a vertical line of alternating Battleships and Carriers can provide a combination of anti-aicraft fire and radar coverage. Carriers can launch Fighter scouts before converting to Bomber Launch, and Bombers can patrol safely behind the Line-of-Battle while taking advantage of Carrier radar to strike from a great distance.

This formation is strong – especially in scale – but has four main disadvantages.

  1. Firstly, the Line-of-Battle is too rigid to respond to enemy SRBM attack from Bombers. Their missile strike locations are hard to predict and can appear with no warning at all, often from beyond radar range using aircraft as cues. Bombers can also convert to Naval Combat Mode or rearm rapidly, and strike from beyond Battleship combat range while remaining protected behind friendly vessels.
  2. Secondly, manoeuvring the Line-of-Battle is difficult, and rotating the fleet is nearly impossible in any reasonable timeframe. The Line must be broken into fragments, which compromises the Line's inherent strength.
  3. Radar coverage in this formation is quite limited, as it involves pooling all naval assets into a single long line. It can be easily outflanked, in which case all units must be realigned.
  4. Lastly, Line-on-Line combat will often devolve into massing fleets, in which the player with the most ships and aircraft present will win, while taking enormous losses themselves

Task Forces[]

Usually, there are several theatres of combat, which require the main fleet to be split several ways. Grouping 2 individual Battleships and 2 Carriers allows the task force to detect the enemy and withdraw, awaiting the arrival of other Task Forces. Submarines should not be used in Task Forces, as they are dangerously slow and have no radar.

Task Forces are too weak to form a true Line-of-Battle, but are large enough to scout approaching enemies and survive until reinforcements arrive. They are best applied over large oceans, in which the Line-of-Battle tends to be too slow and cumbersome to use.

Deathstack[]

Due to the large amount of boats in a small area, this technique is best applied with fleets of 5 or 6, rather than individual boats. The Deathstack involves 'stacking' several fleets atop one another and moving them in concert, packing an enormous amount of firepower in a small area, and may cause enemies to underestimate the Deathstack and be destroyed. A single Deathstack may involve 3 full fleets for a total of 18 vessels. Although the Deathstack may seem appealing, it has many serious flaws:

  1. Using fleets of more than two ships is generally discouraged, as the ships lose autonomy and cannot be rearranged, and the fleets cannot sail in formation properly and are exposed to easy enemy scouting.
  2. The Deathstack is extremely vulnerable to SRBMs and carefully timed Bomber attacks (in which Bombers can attack ships without retaliation due to their larger radar).
  3. Placing the majority of ships into two or three Deathstacks limits the flexibility and range of all Naval units. The radar footprint of the Deathstack is much larger than an individual ship, and can be scouted more easily.

Submarine Perspective[]

Countering Submarines[]

Each player is given 12 Submarines. At 5 nuclear missiles each, they carry 60 missiles, as many as all the player's silos combined. This makes them a strong offensive weapon. Fortunately for the defender, submarines have several weaknesses.

Submarine Sweeping[]

Patrolling units alone coastlines can defend against emerging Submarines.

Using Carriers[]

Carriers in Anti-Submarine Mode are lethal against enemy Submarines, even massed Submarines in Active Mode. However, Carriers are limited both by their detection range and their depth-charge range. Furthermore, even Carriers can only depth-charge at 60-second intervals, which is enough time to be destroyed by several Submarines in Active Mode.

However, Aircraft Carriers still enjoy a wide detection range, and Passive Submarines will appear as ghostly outlines. Converting Carriers to Anti-Submarine Mode takes 240 seconds, which is dangerous to attempt during a battle. Finally, Carriers are rarely used to patrol coastlines, as they're far too precious to waste behind the front lines.

Using Bombers[]

Bombers can be micromanaged to patrol shorelines in a highly efficient manner. Their vast range allows them to remain active for a very long time, and they can refuel or rearm at Airbases as well as Carriers (which may also be Submarine-sweeping). A pair of bombers can patrol in opposite directions along a coastline, using their Naval Combat Mode to scout efficiently with a large radar and intercept.

Bombers have the luxury of two modes: Naval Combat and SRBM Launch. Both are very effective at dealing with submarines, though it is advised to patrol using Bombers in SRBM Launch. This variant can launch its missile at the Submarines, destroying it and any nearby Submarines instantly. Converting to Naval Combat Mode takes 60 seconds, whereas Submarines take 120 seconds to transition into MRBM Launch Mode. This means that within the time it takes for Submarines to surface and launch, a Bomber can launch an SRBM and convert fully to Naval Combat Mode.

Using Submarines[]

Submarines in Active Sonar Mode can find and attack enemy submarines, but are poorly placed to do so. This is chiefly due to their slow speed, small detection range, and vulnerability to enemy vessels. Submarines are also far too valuable an offensive weapon to use defensively, and should not be used in such a manner unless void of MRBMs.

Submarine as Weapons[]

A Submarine's true power comes from the 5 MRBMs loaded, which can strike across a region as large as the whole Atlantic. Massed Submarines have incredible Active Mode and MRBM Launch potential, but are highly vulnerable to being destroyed all at once and are unable to target multiple theatres. Conversely, dispersed Submarines lack Active Mode firepower but can score points in multiple areas.

It is important to note that Submarines are very slow, frail, and have no radar themselves. Unless escorted while surfacing, they are at significant risk of being destroyed rapidly. Submarines may be either kept by friendly coastlines until needed to farm points, or keep up with the fleet and engage in Active Mode to reach their destination rapidly.

Sleeper Agents[]

Submarines may be detached from the main fleet and silently moved toward enemy coast, awaiting cues. Missile Silos alert all players to their location when they launch, and hidden Submarines may capitalise upon this immediately by surfacing. It is advised that players launch the first missile of several Submarines at the Silo, rather than several missiles of one Submarine. This approach will destroy one Silo at a time, rather than a long delay and then all Silos at once. If the latter approach is taken, the Silos may convert back to Air Defence Mode and successfully defend, or even direct an ICBM at the Submarine group itself.

It is important to note that MRBMs cannot be launched without a target, unlike SRBMs or ICBMs. This means that Submarines are useless without radar coverage over enemy territory, or enemy Silos having launched already. Consequently, Submarines require naval supremacy for optimal strength.

Hit-and-Run[]

This tactic is harder to attempt with Submarines than with Carriers, but the principle is still valuable, particularly when the player enjoys naval supremacy. In certain situations – such as enemy buildings being destroyed or reduced, or most cities having been destroyed – it is not necessary to expend all the Submarine's nuclear missiles on poor targets.

Another interpretation could be in the rare events of Submarines being in position before the main fleet. The Submarines may surface and launch, receiving support from the approaching friendly fleet before the enemy arrives. The Submarines may then flee.

Carrier strategies[]

Reinforcing carriers[]

Carriers can carry two bombers and start out with six nukes. If a bomber lands on a carrier that has no nukes left, it will not be able to reload. Move your bombers around manually to make sure that they are able to load ordinance.

Even if a carrier has no nukes left, it can still carry bombers that are already loaded. Moving your land-based bombers to carriers is a great way of extending your reach and shortening the turn-around time of bombers.

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