Mahan begins sea defence with the protection of national commerce, especially as shipping approaches home ports. Germany's overseas trade must pass through the English Channel between Britain and France or make an inconvenient northern circuit. He compares this difficulty with the Dutch experience in wars against England, where similar fleet numbers did not erase a disadvantage of position. Control of the Baltic offers little compensation for exposed routes to the Atlantic. Even predominance in the North Sea would give Germany only a protected northern outlet. Operating farther west requires additional force beyond the ships needed to hold that sea. In this calculation, distance has a cost that can be expressed in ships.
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Germany's commercial routes and the force needed beyond the North Sea
Mahan shows why protecting Germany's commerce requires more than control of its home waters: Atlantic access imposes additional distance and force requirements.