What distinguishes passive defense from active defense in maritime operations?

• A. Active defense reduces vulnerability through concealment.
• B. Passive defense reduces vulnerability through maneuver and concealment; active defense detects and intercepts threats with weapons and sensors.
• C. Passive defense relies on detection and interception using weapons.
• D. Both approaches rely on electronic warfare.

Answer: (B)

Passive defense reduces vulnerability without engaging the threat, by making the ship harder to detect, harder to hit, or less valuable to target through maneuvering, dispersion, camouflage, and emissions control. Active defense, by contrast, is about sensing threats and directly defeating them with weapons—using sensors to detect and track the threat and then intercept or destroy it with guns, missiles, or electronic countermeasures. The best statement captures both ideas: passive defense lowers vulnerability through maneuver and concealment, while active defense detects and intercepts threats with weapons and sensors. In practice, forces often employ both: they wedge in concealment and strategic movement while maintaining capable defensive systems to respond if a threat is found.