Britain's dependence on imported food and raw materials made defeat at sea a threat to its survival. Sea control also allowed Britain to move forces abroad and sustain an overseas strategy. Defeating an opponent's fleet, however, did not necessarily force that state to submit. The prewar argument read here therefore expects combined naval and military operations in a future war. Britain's wealth, shipping, and geography gave those operations an unusually large place in national strategy, even though individual campaigns, such as operations on India's frontier, could be fought mainly on land.
Notable Point · 6:29:28-6:32:25
Why command of the sea still required an army ashore
Prewar British strategic writing connected trade dependence and sea control with the need to use land forces to secure a political result.