National Security exam 2

Empire and naval strategy

• Difficult except for places like Athens where islands were close

• Navigation difficult

• In battle, ships would just ram each other, which was ineffective because of proximity and loss of wind

Age of Exploration

• Beginning of maritime empire era

• Portugal, Spain, UK, Netherlands, Sweden

• Mercantilist monarchies

Battle of Trafalgar (1805)

• French and Spanish vs British

• Napoleon trying to defeat British Navy to have control of Europe

• British troops more disciplined so able to win

• Britain once again world power —> history turns on naval power

Relevance of US Civil War

• First industrial era war

• Britain supporting South b/c they saw it as weakening US overall industrial power

  • Worried about rising US power

• Use of coal for energy limiting distance navy can go

Turrets

• Created by John Ericsson

• Firepower no longer confined to port or starboard

Mahan’s background

• Trying to explain value of Navy to Washington

  • Shrunk after civil war

  • No great leaders b/c no ranks to rise

  • Wanted US fleet to be equal to UK

• Saw that all great powers were naval ones

  • Napoleonic Wars transformed by British navy

  • Overlooks Russia

• Accused of imperialism b/c of focus on gaining ports for re-coaling

Scramble for Africa

• Africa least colonized continent of 19th century, esp. interior

• Desire for coaling stations

• Germany now unified and seeking great power status

Impact of Mahan’s work

• Cleveland chooses to not shut down Naval Institute

• Germany and Japan decide to build navies

• Royal Navy decides it needs more resources

Naval offense and defense

• Shift to defensive tactics

  • Germany building large fleet so UK not dominant

• Navy to protect ports vs control sea lanes

  • Mahan - sea lanes

• Mahan valued offensive tactics

  • Maritime trade most effective for economic power before railways

  • Win wars by strangling enemy’s economy

Panama Canal

Important for trade but Caribbean is now strategically important area

• Spanish-American War for control of Cuba

System stability

• No incentive or negative reward for starting war

• Incentive to start war vs be struck first

Strategic stability

No benefit to anyone going to war

Crisis stability

Elevated probability other side will strike —> you’re pushed to strike first

Geopolitics

Idea that geography tells us why some countries gain power

Mackinder’s background

• Studying German railroad expansion, believes strategy should focus on land > sea

  • Less obstacles

  • Can move resources

Strategic retreat

• Large countries easier to defend b/c more room to retreat

• Ideal country shape is circle

  • Vulnerability is at borders so want high ratio of area:perimeter

• Have deserts at borders b/c difficult to cross

• Worst country: Pakistan

  • No room to retreat, pop. centered on border

Mackinder’s world island

• Land travel now as easy as sea

• E. Europe as pivot b/c of resources

• US and UK don’t want one alliance controlling pivot

  • Germany: lebensraum

  • US: counterbalance Soviets (post-WWII)

  • British still believing power coming from Navy

Mackinder and geographical determinism

He is NOT one — also believes in industrial might of nations