Jeune École and the commerce-raider promise

Jeune École theory moved from explosive shell guns to torpedo boats, submarines, and mines. Its expected sequence was to destroy an enemy battle fleet near defended waters and then release cruisers that could outrun anything stronger and overpower anything slower. The promise appealed to governments that wanted to prioritise an army or claim sea power without paying for a battle fleet. It was a technological promise rather than a complete strategy because it assumed the opponent would cooperate and never answered what should follow the initial success.