Corbett uses Francis Drake's Armada-era advice to show how the sea complicates communications and contact. Drake favored taking station near the Spanish departure point while England still did not know whether the attack would fall on the Channel, Ireland, or Scotland, or coordinate with other forces. The proposal promised initiative and moral effect, yet it also risked placing the English fleet behind events if the Armada sailed first. Unlike an army constrained by roads and obstacles, a fleet could pass through a vast operating area without being found. Naval commanders must therefore balance the value of an aggressive position against the strategic danger of searching in the wrong place.
Notable Point · 6:13-8:14
Drake, the Armada, and missed contact
The Armada crisis shows why an aggressive forward deployment can be strategically sound yet still risk missing the enemy.