steve on Nostr: “Principles of Maritime Strategy” by Julian Corbett ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ...
“Principles of Maritime Strategy” by Julian Corbett
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Sometimes it takes an outside perspective to truly shed light on a subject. Unlike most military theorists, especially naval theorists, Sir Corbett had a non-military background as a British lawyer prior to WWI. His work on maritime strategy builds on Mahan’s treatise but resolves many of the inconsistencies between Mahan’s man-crush on Jomini and the enduring principles put forth by Clausewitz. Corbett’s work views maritime strategy (and consequently the purpose of the Navy) as a holistic effort to pursue the nation’s interests. Gone are the binary, black & white arguments for “decisive battle at sea”… why bother if one can simply use a couple ships to control ocean trade at key points? Corbett’s nuanced view accounts for economics, geopolitics, and the works from the foundational military theorists who pre-dated him. He was ahead of his time by even recommending a Joint Staff to de-conflict the inherent conflicts of interest that Army generals and Navy admirals inherently presented to sovereign rulers. If you had to pick one book on naval strategy, this is it ⚓️
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Sometimes it takes an outside perspective to truly shed light on a subject. Unlike most military theorists, especially naval theorists, Sir Corbett had a non-military background as a British lawyer prior to WWI. His work on maritime strategy builds on Mahan’s treatise but resolves many of the inconsistencies between Mahan’s man-crush on Jomini and the enduring principles put forth by Clausewitz. Corbett’s work views maritime strategy (and consequently the purpose of the Navy) as a holistic effort to pursue the nation’s interests. Gone are the binary, black & white arguments for “decisive battle at sea”… why bother if one can simply use a couple ships to control ocean trade at key points? Corbett’s nuanced view accounts for economics, geopolitics, and the works from the foundational military theorists who pre-dated him. He was ahead of his time by even recommending a Joint Staff to de-conflict the inherent conflicts of interest that Army generals and Navy admirals inherently presented to sovereign rulers. If you had to pick one book on naval strategy, this is it ⚓️