upcarta
  • Sign In
  • Sign Up
  • Explore
  • Search

Rethinking British Military Policy » Wavell Room

  • Article
  • May 5, 2023
  • #Politics
Michael Shurkin
@MichaelShurkin
(Author)
wavellroom.com
Read on wavellroom.com
1 Recommender
1 Mention
The policy swings that have marked British policy have resulted, to a large extent, from disagreement about the answers to these questions. Thus, in the immediate post-war years, t... Show More

The policy swings that have marked British policy have resulted, to a large extent, from disagreement about the answers to these questions. Thus, in the immediate post-war years, the British Government eschewed committing land forces to defend Europe because such a policy did not work well in 1914 and 1940. Then, the policy was to retain a robust presence in the Middle East where, it was thought, Britain could contribute more to defending European and British interests than sustaining a significant presence on the European continent. Roughly a decade later, the UK reversed this by committing several divisions on the Rhine. The Falklands War made British policy-makers rediscover expeditionary capabilities and the need to be able to do things other than NATO-specific missions, causing the UK to reassess once again what kind of military it needed.

Show Less
Recommend
Post
Save
Complete
Collect
Mentions
See All
Nicholas Drummond @nicholadrummond · May 5, 2023
  • Post
  • From Twitter
A great article, Michael. I agree that within a global context, the Royal Navy and RAF assume a higher priority than the Army. But I disagree that British expeditionary land forces had little utility. Historically, they bought valuable time by tying down our adversaries. 1 of 2
  • upcarta ©2025
  • Home
  • About
  • Terms
  • Privacy
  • Cookies
  • @upcarta