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Small boat operations in military and naval warfare refers to operations in and around the littoral zone, within a certain distance of shore, carried out by small but fast and highly maneuverable crafts. In recent years small unmanned systems have been tested for use in this kind of warfare.
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The role of these types of operations would be both offensive and defensive. Conventional navies have used small craft for hit-and-run type attacks and raids on enemy ships, shore line and port facilities as far back as World War II (the German e-boats) and recent as the Iran–Iraq War.
Following suicide attacks on warships by terrorists such as in the Sri Lankan Civil War and the USS Cole bombing, navies have adapted specialized crafts to maintain port security, patrol coastal and river line areas.