Sea lines of communication 1365004 221019529 2008-06-22T18:10:18Z DOI bot 6652755 Citation maintenance. Initiated by [[User:Fconaway|Fconaway]]. You can [[WP:DOI|use this bot]] yourself! Please [[User:DOI_bot/bugs|report any bugs]]. [[Image:China’s Critical Sea Lines of Communication.png|thumb|300px|right|China’s Critical Sea Lines of Communication. In 2004, over 80 percent of Chinese [[crude oil]] imports transited the [[Straits of Malacca]], with less than 2 percent transiting the [[Straits of Lombok]]. Click to enlarge.]] '''Sea lines of communication''' (abbreviated as '''SLOC''') is a term describing the primary [[Shipping|maritime]] routes between [[port]]s, used for [[trade]], [[logistics]] and [[naval forces]].<ref>{{cite journal| last=Klein| first=John J.| year=2007| title=Maritime Strategy Should Heed U.S. and UK Classics| url=http://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/archive/index.asp| journal=U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings| volume=133| issue=4| pages=67–69}}</ref> It is generally used in reference to [[navy|naval]] operations to ensure that SLOCs are open, or in times of war, to close them. In the American Revolutionary war and the [[Napoleonic War]]s, the SLOC's were for the most part, in the control of the [[Kingdom of Great Britain|British Navy]]&mdash;when the British lost control of them during the Revolution, the result was the loss of Yorktown and its biggest army, and ultimately the war. In the Napoleonic era, maintaining belligerence throughout, the British embargoed and blockaded any country associated with Napoleon, creating large economic hardships and dislocations that ultimately lead to the people of France becoming disenchanted with their beloved Emperor. In [[World War I]] and [[World War II]], the ''[[Kriegsmarine]]'' attempted to close the SLOCs from [[North America]] to [[Great Britain]] with the use of [[submarine]]s. The [[Allies]] engaged in a defensive campaign employing escort vessels and [[convoy]]s to keep these SLOCs open. During World War II, the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] successfully closed the SLOCs to Japan, strangling the resource-poor island nation. During the [[Cold War]], Europe would have required resupply and reinforcement from North America. [[Soviet Navy]] strategy was to close these SLOCs in order to maximize their numerical superiority on the European continent. ==References== {{reflist}} [[Category:Military strategy]] [[Category:Naval warfare]]