the destruction of the enemy battleship".

Any lesser accomplishment, such as infliction of damage on the enemy
battleship, or its repulse, or its diversion elsewhere, would also be
suitable to the appropriate effect desired, though not in the same
degree. Each such visualized accomplishment, suitable to the
appropriate effect desired, may properly be considered as a
tentatively selected objective.

An objective having been tentatively selected on the basis of the
appropriate effect desired, its final selection will naturally depend,
as indicated in the Principle, on the feasibility of the effort
involved in the attainment of each such objective, and on the
acceptability of the consequences as to costs.

In investigating such feasibility, account is taken of the relative
fighting strength. With relation to the enemy battleship, for example
(see above), the commander would consider the means available to him
and the means opposed (including the enemy battleship and any
supporting forces), as influenced by the characteristics of the
theater.

This investigation will include, necessarily, a sufficient analysis of
the salient features of the operation required to attain each
objective. Such features include the nature of the physical objectives
(the battleship and any other forces, for instance), the possibilities
of relative position, the problems involved in apportioning the forces
on either side, and the proper considerations as to freedom of action.

A similar study with respect to the acceptability of the consequences
to be expected, as to the costs involved in the operation, will
provide a basis for a conclusion as to that factor.

If the attainment of an objective is found to be infeasible, or
feasible only at the expense of unacceptable consequences, the
proposed objective will naturally be rejected, and some other
objective will be considered (page 33).

The objective finally adopted as the best will be that which, all
things considered, is best adapted to the requirements of suitability,
feasibility, and acceptability, as outlined in the Fundamental
Military Principle.

The Appropriate Effect Desired, as the Basis for the Objective. As
will be appreciated from the foregoing discussion, the first factor in
the selection of a correct objective is the "appropriate effect
desired". The evaluation of this factor is not always easy, for
reasons which will be explained.

The procedure (as indicated by the Pri