An island campaign serving a wider allied war

The closing argument returns to the campaign's coalition structure. Britain was not conquering islands solely for isolated national gain; Caribbean operations also supported the wars of Spain and Portugal against Napoleon. Occupying the Danish West Indies prevented those islands from becoming useful to France. Naval action in one theater therefore protected allies, removed enemy options, and secured the economic base for fighting elsewhere. This integration of regional operations and allied aims resembles the logic of later global campaigns, especially those of the Second World War.