Naval intervention as control and brinkmanship

Naval intervention grants control over the flow of support, the delivery of combat power, and the size of a state's commitment. In the Peninsular War and Korea, that control chiefly sustained land forces and helped offset an opponent's numerical strength ashore. In Confrontation, the willingness to risk force became a bargaining instrument. Brinkmanship is dangerous, but it can create room for communication and concessions when both sides seek to avoid a fight.