French imperial security relied on British sea power

France had once contested global influence with Britain, but its naval position had fallen sharply by the end of the First World War. In this account, Britain and the United States occupy the first rank, Japan the second, and France sits alongside Italy in a lower tier. Other powers could answer French demands for greater status by pointing out that France had not funded a fleet commensurate with those claims. Prewar choices and later treaty limitations therefore tied the security of French overseas territories increasingly to British maritime power. Underinvestment could narrow diplomatic freedom long after the immediate budget decision had been made.