Fleet in being

Common card · No. 277235

In naval warfare, a "fleet-in-being" is a naval force that extends a controlling influence without ever leaving port. Were the fleet to leave port and face the enemy, it might lose in battle and no longer influence the enemy's actions, but while it remains safely in port, the enemy is forced to continually deploy forces to guard against it potentially becoming an active participant. A "fleet in being" can be part of a sea denial doctrine, but not one of sea control.

Read on Wikipedia · Image John Closterman, Public domain