English

Alternative forms

• fleet-in-being

Noun

fleet in being ‎(plural fleets in being)

1. (military, navy, countable) A naval fleet which exerts an influence while remaining in port.
   • 1895, John Murray (publisher), The Quarterly Review, Volume 182, page 6,

     In point of fact command of the sea and a fleet in being are mutually exclusive terms.

   • 1994, Colin S. Gray, The Navy in the Post-Cold War World: The Uses and Value of Strategic Sea Power, page 85,

     But even for that navy, with its strong tradition of offensive action, there were occasions when the fleet-in-being strategy was prudent and effective.

   • 2006, John J. Klein, Space Warfare: Strategy, Principles, and Policy, 122,

     Lines of communication in space, on the other hand, move physical elements, but they are also used to move non-physical elements as well, such as data and information. Consequently, the space equivalent to "fleet in being" should recognize this fundamental difference. […] Whereas the naval fleet in being strategy uses ships to dispute command of the sea, a space strategy employing a force in being may use physical assets as well as non-physical means.

   • 2007, James B. Wood, Japanese Military Strategy in the Pacific War: Was Defeat Inevitable?, page 81,

     It should instead have been saved as a reserve force, a fleet in being, as long as possible, and then committed in a Riskflotte operation at a key juncture, striking a decisive blow even if it involved its sacrifice.