An offensive is a conduct of combat operations that seek to achieve only some of the objectives of the strategy being pursued in the theatre as a whole.
[citation needed] The offensive was considered a pre-eminent means of producing victory, although with the recognition of a defensive phase at some stage of the execution.
Naval offensives can also be tactical, such as Operation Coronado IX[3] conducted by the United States Navy's Mobile Riverine Force during the Vietnam War.
For example, the Operation Barbarossa was a theatre offensive composed of three distinct and inter-related campaigns in the Southern, Central and Northern parts of USSR territory.
[6] However, the planning and execution of strategic offensives are always based on theoretical considerations because it is impractical, uneconomic and difficult to hide a full-scale rehearsal of large-scale operations.