Naval Strategy Research Articles

‘Ports of Shelter, and refreshment . . .’: Botany Bay and Norfolk Island in British naval strategy, 1786–1808

(1986). ‘Ports of Shelter, and refreshment . . .’: Botany Bay and Norfolk Island in British naval strategy, 1786–1808. Historical Studies: Vol. 22, No. 87, pp. 199-213.

Technological determinants: Trends in US naval strategies and tactics

Technological determinants: Trends in US naval strategies and tactics

Book Reviews : Britain's Naval Strategy, by Sir James Cable. Macmillan Press, 1983, £20

Book Reviews : Britain's Naval Strategy, by Sir James Cable. Macmillan Press, 1983, £20

Naval Strategy and the Spread of Psycho-Legal Boundaries at Sea

Naval Strategy and the Spread of Psycho-Legal Boundaries at Sea

Merchant marine in Soviet naval strategy

The recent UK operation to recapture the Falkland Islands demonstrated the crisis and wartime utility of civilian merchant vessels in assisting military operations in distant areas. Over 50 merchantmen — many rapidly converted — were taken up from trade and served in a variety of vital logistic and support roles; as troop and hospital ships, aircraft transporters, repair ships and munitions carriers, to mention but a few. 1 In addition to the lessons for amphibious landing operations and air defence of surface naval combatants, a recent issue of Morskoi Sbornik pointed to the importance of peacetime arrangements for transfer of merchant shipping to naval control and the role of large container ships as aircraft transporters and operating platforms for Harrier aircraft providing air defence of the Royal Navy's ‘mobile rear’ en route for the operational area. 2 The time is perhaps propitious for an examination of the dimensions, make-up and peacetime roles of the Soviet civilian fleets, focusing on the contribution made to Soviet economic and military objectives by the USSR Ministry of the Maritime Fleet .

Naval Strategy and the Spread of Psycho-Legal Boundaries at Sea

Naval Strategy and the Spread of Psycho-Legal Boundaries at Sea

Icelandic Security Policy: Context and Trends

Iceland holds a central position in the Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom gap (GIUK gap), which constitutes a choke point through which naval transit routes in and out of the Norwegian Sea must necessarily lie. Situated between the American and European continents, Iceland constitutes a 'bridgehead' from which support or reinforcement by short-range aircraft from the U.S. can be provided. This article first analyzes the GIUK gap and its role in U.S. and Soviet naval strategy and concludes that changes in Soviet naval strategy imply diminished importance for the GIUK gap. The second part of the article analyzes general characteristics of Iceland's security policy. While there is no realistic alternative to Iceland's NATO membership, the U.S. base in Keflavík has been highly controversial. The perceived cultural impact of the American presence in Iceland has always been a major focus of the political controversy on security policy, whereas the military aspect has been less prevalent until recent years. Iceland's position in NATO has characteristically been a detached one. Icelandic efforts to establish research and expertise in the security field as well as the trend towards increased politicization of the military aspects of security policy are discussed in the concluding part of the article.

Icelandic Security Policy: Context and Trends

Iceland holds a central position in the Greenland–Iceland–United Kingdom gap (GIUK gap), which constitutes a choke point through which naval transit routes in and out of the Norwegian Sea must necessarily lie. Situated between the American and European continents, Iceland constitutes a ‘bridgehead’ from which support or reinforcement by short-range aircraft from the U.S. can be provided. This article first analyzes the GIUK gap and its role in U.S. and Soviet naval strategy and concludes that changes in Soviet naval strategy imply diminished importance for the GIUK gap. The second part of the article analyzes general characteristics of Iceland's security policy. While there is no realistic alternative to Iceland's NATO membership, the U.S. base in Keflavík has been highly controversial. The perceived cultural impact of the American presence in Iceland has always been a major focus of the political controversy on security policy, whereas the military aspect has been less prevalent until recent years. Iceland's position in NATO has characteristically been a detached one. Icelandic efforts to establish research and expertise in the security field as well as the trend towards increased politicization of the military aspects of security policy are discussed in the concluding part of the article.

The Tools of Imperialism: Technology and the Expansion of European Colonial Empires in the Nineteenth Century

One of the liveliest debates in modern history has revolved around the causes of the new imperialism of the nineteenth century. Historians have offered a wealth of explanations for this dramatic expansion of European control over much of the eastern hemisphere. Some have emphasized political motives, such as international rivalries, naval strategy, the instability of imperial frontiers, the diversion of popular attention from domestic problems, or the influence of pressure groups on political decision makers. Others, following in Hobson's footsteps, have stressed economic motives: the need for raw materials, secure markets, or investment opportunities.2 The debate has grown to include so many works that it has even begun producing anthologies and historiographies.3

Reviews of Books

Abstract Special forces: Military Elites By Roger A. Beaumont (Robert Hale, London, 1976), £5.50, 251 pages. Conflict in Ireland: The Anglo-Irish Tradition By J. C. Beckett (Faber and Faber, London, 1977), £5.50, 159 pages. Conflict in Ireland: Revolutionary Underground: The Story of the Irish Republican Brotherhood 1858–1924 By Leon 'Broin (Gill and Macmillan, Dublin), £6.95, 245 pages. Development and control of arms: Developing the ICBM: A Study in Bureaucratic Politics By Edmund Beard (Columbia University Press, 1976), $18.75, 273 pages. Development and control of arms: International Arms Control—Issues and Agreements By the Stanford Arms Control Group, ed. John H. Barton and Lawrence D. Weiler (Stanford University Press, California, 1976), $18.50, paperback $12.95, 444 pages. Two air forces: The Royal Air Force: The Last Thirty Years By A. G. Trevenen James (Macdonald and Jane's, London, 1976), £5.95, 230 pages. Two air forces: The Soviet Air Force since 1918 By Alexander Boyd (Macdonald and Jane's, London, 1977), £6.50, 259 pages. Be prepared: Civil Defence—A Soviet View By P. T. Yegorov, I. A. Shlyakhov and N. I. Alabin (Moscow, 1970). (Translated and edited by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory under the auspices of the United States Air Force. Printed and distributed by the US Government Printing Office.) $3.45, 374 pages. The dark continent: Strategic Highways of Africa By Guy Arnold and Ruth Weiss (John Friedmann, London, 1977), casebound £5.95, paperback £3.50, 178 pages. The dark continent: The Secret War in the Sudan, 1955–72 By Edgar 'Ballance (Faber and Faber, London, 1977), £5.50, 160 pages. Two views of peace-keeping: War and Peace in the Middle East By General Odd Bull (Leo Cooper), £6.95, 205 pages. Two views of peace-keeping: Peace Soldiers—The Sociology of a United Nations Military Force By Charles C. Moskos, Jr (University of Chicago Press, 1976), £7.50, 171 pages. A wealth of experience: Bunch of Five By Frank Kitson (Faber & Faber, London, 1977), £5.95, 303 pages. A by-gone age: Britannia Rules: The Classic Age of Naval History 1793–1815 By C. Northcote Parkinson (Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London, 1977), £5.95, 200 pages. A. T. Mahan: The Letters and Papers of Alfred Thayer Mahan Edited by Robert Seager II and Doris D. Maguire (Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland, 1975; Patrick Stephens, Cambridge, 1976), £60, three volumes of 718, 745 and 873 pages respectively. Arthur Marder: Naval Warfare in the Twentieth Century—Essays in Honour of Arthur Marder Edited By Gerald Jordan (Croom Helm, London; Crane Russak, New York, 1977), £6.95, 243 pages. Ships World-wide in World War II: Allied Escort Ships of World War II By Peter Elliott, (Macdonald and Jane's, London, 1977), £15.00, 558 pages. Ships World-wide in World War II: Soviet Warships of the Second World War By Jurg Meister (Macdonald and Jane's, London, 1977), £7.95, 348 pages. Ships World-wide in World War II: Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy 1869–1945 By Hansgeorg Jentschura, Dieter Jung and Peter Mickel. Translated by Antony Preston and J. D. Brown (Arms and Armour Press, London, 1977), £12.95, 280 pages. US Naval Strategy: The First South Pacific Campaign: Pacific Fleet Strategy December 1941–June 1942 By John B. Lundstrom (Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland, $14.50; Patrick Stephen Ltd, Cambridge, 1977), £10.95, 205 pages. 19th-century warfare: Austerlitz 1805 By Christopher Dutty (Seeley Service and Cooper, London, 1977), £5.95, 200 pages. 19th-century warfare: Wellington's Army in the Peninsula 1808–1814 By Michael Glover (David and Charles, Newton Abbot, 1977), £5.50, 180 pages. 19th-century warfare: The Red Soldier: Letters from the Zulu War, 1879 By Frank Emery (Hodder and Stoughton, London, 1977), £6.25, 288 pages. The Victorian era: The Army in Victorian Society By Gwyn Harries-Jenkins (Routledge & Kegan Paul, London, 1977), £5.50, 281 pages. Battle honours: Honour Titles of the Royal Artillery By Major-General B. P. Hughes (Royal Artillery Institution, Woolwich, London SE18, 1977), £5.95, 222 pages. Death to the Führer: The History of the German Resistance 1933–1945 By Peter Hoffmann (Macdonald and Jane's, London, 1977), £15, 800 pages. Collectors' items: The Two World Wars. A Guide to Manuscript Collections in the United Kingdom By S. L. Mayer and W. J. Koenig (Bowker Publishing Co), £2.50, 317 pages. Collectors' items: A Bibliographical Guide to the Two World Wars By Gwyn M. Bayliss (Bowker), £15.00, 578 pages. Collectors' items: World War II: An Account of its Documents Ed. James E. 'Neill and Robert W. Kraushopf (Howard University Press, Washington, DC), £15.00. Collectors' items: A Subject Bibliography of the Second World War: Books in English 1939–1974 By A. G. S. Enser (Andre Deutsch), £11.95, 592 pages.

A Strategic Perspective on the Arctic

Strategically, the Arctic enjoys the unique – and also somewhat precarious – position as a ‘buffer zone’ between the two superpowers; the USA and the USSR. On the outskirts of the Arctic region, the Barents Sea has become, in military-political terms, one of the most important sea areas in the world. A factor of prime significance in this connection has been the growing Soviet emphasis on a forward naval strategy linked with the massive build-up of the Northern Fleet and the Kola base. Against this backdrop, the author analyses the strategic importance of the Polar region, and the changes brought about by the discovery of oil, natural gas and minerals in Northern Siberia, Canada and Alaska as well as on the continental shelf in the Arctic Ocean. Although the development and transit of these new resources could become a stabilizing factor in the area, there are still unresolved problems as regards division of rights and boundaries. The main strategic importance of the Polar region will still be derived from its location between the two superpowers. The author finds that the situation as it now develops in the Polar region could be exploited to achieve two important aims of Norwegian foreign policy: to strengthen Norway's ties with its Atlantic partners, and to increase the assurance of the Soviet Union. In order to achieve these aims, a common policy should be worked out in cooperation with other NATO members who have interests in the Polar region, i.e. Denmark, Iceland, Canada and the United States.

A Strategic Perspective on the Arctic

Strategically, the Arctic enjoys the unique - and also somewhat precarious - position as a 'buffer zone' between the two superpowers; the USA and the USSR. On the out skirts of the Arctic region, the Barents Sea has become, in military-political terms, one of the most important sea areas in the world. A factor of prime significance in this connection has been the growing Soviet emphasis on a forward naval strategy linked with the massive build-up of the Northern Fleet and the Kola base. Against this back drop, the author analyses the strategic importance of the Polar region, and the changes brought about by the discovery of oil, natural gas and minerals in Northern Siberia, Canada and Alaska as well as on the continental shelf in the Arctic Ocean. Although the development and transit of these new resources could become a stabilizing factor in the area, there are still unresolved problems as regards division of rights and boundaries. The main strategic importance of the Polar region will still be derived from its location between the two superpowers. The author finds that the situation as it now develops in the Polar region could be exploited to achieve two important aims of Norwegian foreign policy: to strengthen Norway's ties with its Atlantic partners, and to increase the assurance of the Soviet Union. In order to achieve these aims, a common policy should be worked out in cooperation with other NATO members who have interests in the Polar region, i.e. Denmark, Iceland, Canada and the United States.

The Soviet Union and Nordic Security

The author distinguishes between Soviet objectives of system preservation and system extension. Soviet policies vis-à-vis the Nordic area have been conceived primarily in the context of system preservation. Thus the Soviet Union has pursued a policy of no experiments and accepts the status quo as tolerable. The preferred Soviet model is that of a neutralist and fragmented Nordic system. The Soviet naval expansion has resulted in the forward deployment of the Northern and Baltic fleets to the Greenland — Iceland — Faeroe Islands gap. There are several structural instabilities associated with a Soviet naval strategy of forward deployment. It also affects the efficacy and credibility of US reinforcements to Norway. The North European security zone is likely to remain of considerable significance to the management of the Central Balance while oil drilling on the Norwegian continental shelf introduces a new element of uncertainty. In their negotiations with the EC the Nordic states appear to be preserving the regional equilibrium and the Soviet Union has made no serious objections.

The Soviet Union and Nordic Security

The author distinguishes between Soviet objectives of system preservation and system extension. Soviet policies vis-à-vis the Nordic area have been conceived primarily in the context of system preservation. Thus the Soviet Union has pursued a policy of no experiments and accepts the status quo as tolerable. The preferred Soviet model is that of a neutralist and fragmented Nordic system. The Soviet naval expansion has resulted in the forward deployment of the Northern and Baltic fleets to the Greenland — Iceland — Faeroe Islands gap. There are several structural instabilities associated with a Soviet naval strategy of forward deployment. It also affects the efficacy and credibility of US reinforcements to Norway. The North European security zone'is likely to remain of considerable significance to the management of the Central Balance while oil drilling on the Norwegian continental shelf introduces a new element of uncertainty. In their negotiations with the EC the Nordic states appear to be preserving the regional equilibrium and the Soviet Union has made no serious objections.

South Africa and naval strategy

South Africa and naval strategy

Soviet Naval Strategy: Fifty Years of Theory and Practice

Soviet Naval Strategy: Fifty Years of Theory and Practice

VII. Britain and Italian Intervention, 1914–1915

The negotiations leading up to the Treaty of London of 27 April 1915 afford a classic illustration of Grey's complaints concerning the difficulties of conducting diplomacy in wartime. Though manifold they may be reduced to two headings. In the first place diplomacy was dependent, hopelessly so, upon victory in the field. ‘A diplomacy which was suitable when the Allied armies were having success’, Grey wrote, ‘was hopelessly unsuitable when the Germans seemed to be winning.’ Whereas before the war the Foreign Office had exercised some influence upon the development of British naval and military strategy, now the boot was upon the other foot. Words could not compensate for military defeats: ‘in war words count only so far as they are backed by force and victories. Up to the end of 1916…Allied diplomacy had little enough of this backing’.

Soviet Naval Strategy: Fifty Years of Theory and Practice

Soviet Naval Strategy: Fifty Years of Theory and Practice

Soviet Naval Strategy: Fifty Years of Theory and Practice. By Robert Waring Herrick. Annapolis: U.S. Naval Institute, 1968. xxxiv, 198 pp. $9.00.

Soviet Naval Strategy: Fifty Years of Theory and Practice. By Robert Waring Herrick. Annapolis: U.S. Naval Institute, 1968. xxxiv, 198 pp. $9.00.

Wegener, Raeder, and the German Naval Strategy

Wegener, Raeder, and the German Naval Strategy