Early-Modern war absorbed large material resources, including manpower, warships, guns, ammunition and supplies, but there was one key element of warfare that was quite immaterial: information. This article analyses Spanish naval intelligence and deals with the production, collection, and management of information within and through the navy. To examine this complex issue this paper will focus on the Spanish naval intelligence system during the American Revolutionary War (1776–83). By the 1770s and the 1780s the Spanish navy had developed and improved an efficient framework that provided decisive information for the mobilisation of its naval forces.

中文翻译：

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信息战：美国独立战争期间的西班牙海军情报 (1775–83)

早期的现代战争消耗了大量的物质资源，包括人力、军舰、枪支、弹药和补给品，但战争的一个关键要素是相当无关紧要的：信息。本文分析西班牙海军情报并处理海军内部和通过海军的信息的生产、收集和管理。为了研究这个复杂的问题，本文将重点关注美国独立战争（1776-83 年）期间的西班牙海军情报系统。到 1770 年代和 1780 年代，西班牙海军已经开发和改进了一个有效的框架，为动员其海军部队提供了决定性的信息。