Naval dominance rests on costly infrastructure that rivals cannot quickly match, especially when they must also fund large land forces. Britain could concentrate resources at sea because its army was primarily expeditionary, whereas France, Spain, and the Dutch faced different continental constraints. Britain also had economic and strategic incentives to maintain that system, but not immunity from failure. Mismanagement at the top and neglected conditions at the bottom could expose a powerful navy without an enemy needing to destroy it outright.
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Sea power rests on infrastructure and people
The conclusion argues that established sea powers are hard to displace, but still vulnerable to political mismanagement and neglected personnel.