Covert Action and Grand Strategy

Abstract

Abstract Throughout history, covert action has been a critically important instrument used by states to achieve their strategic aims without the use of military force. This chapter explores the little-known role that covert action played during the rise of the United States from the American Revolution to the First World War, as well their use by Great Britain and Germany to influence US foreign policy after the United States had become a great power. The chapter explores how covert operations aided US efforts to expand across North America and European covert missions to block America’s rise through exploiting divisions within US society and derailing American plans to expand its borders to the Pacific Ocean. The chapter then explores how prior to the First World War, Britain and Germany used covert psychological operations to sway American opinion to their respective sides. Once war broke out, these operations intensified as Britain sought to convince the United States to enter the conflict as their ally while German operations sought to encourage American neutrality. Once America entered the war, Germany switched to sabotaging American operations to derail US war production. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the future of covert action in the digital age and the role of cyberattacks in light of the Russian attack on the 2016 US presidential election.