Civilian leaders cannot step away from strategy merely because they are not military professionals. Political aims and military means must inform each other, otherwise civilians cannot judge military proposals and commanders cannot understand the political purpose behind them. Friction between the Imperial Japanese Navy and Army in the Second World War, and between the British Army and Royal Navy in the First World War, shows what happens when institutions pursue separate tracks. James Cable offers a bridge across such divisions because his writing on naval strategy drew on Army and Diplomatic Service experience. Without a shared strategic framework, government becomes trapped among competing plans instead of deciding how they fit a common purpose.
Chapter · 4:00-5:32
Civilian and military strategy must connect
Separating political and military strategy leaves neither side able to make coherent choices about war. The result is a set of competing plans rather than a joined-up effort.