Which statement best describes the Concentration principle's approach to isolating the enemy?

• A. Isolate enemy through envelopment or penetration, then defeat in detail
• B. Direct frontal assault only
• C. Naval blockade
• D. Economic sanctions

Answer: (C)

The Concentration principle is about massing your forces at the decisive point to overwhelm the enemy, and a crucial way to create the conditions for that decisive action is by isolating the enemy from outside support and escape. A naval blockade directly achieves this kind of isolation by cutting off sea lines of communication, denying the enemy the ability to resupply, reinforce, or evacuate. With their external channels shut, the enemy’s options shrink and their ability to wage sustained resistance diminishes, making it possible to concentrate superior force at the right place and time to finish the confrontation.

Envelopment or penetration describes how you exploit the enemy once you’re already in contact, but it’s a maneuver for defeating rather than the method of creating isolation itself. A direct frontal assault focuses on breaking the enemy where they stand, which doesn’t emphasize cutting off external support. Economic sanctions are political/economic tools, not military means of isolating battlefield forces.