Britain's unresolved choice between maritime and continental strategy

The British Way of War: Julian Corbett and the Battle for National Strategy presents the struggle over national strategy as a contest over service roles, political authority and money. Balfour sought economies after the Boer War, while Fisher's reforms challenged entrenched naval interests. The Anglo-French Entente made Germany the principal planning target and raised fears that France could fall before maritime pressure took effect. That concern strengthened the argument for sending an army to Europe. Subsequent governments gained diplomatic benefits from military discussions without settling the commitment or building the army it implied. In this interpretation, the unresolved choice contributed to the crisis of August 1914.