The Nature Of Military Power - 2256 Words

What is the nature of military power and how should it be used to serve national interests? These fundamental questions form the foundation of military strategy. Various answers developed by civilian and military theorists over the past century all center on the idea of controlling conflict by rationally applying military power to achieve a desirable outcome. However, as economic, social, and political contexts evolve, they redefine ideas about power, its utility, and its application. As a result of this reciprocal relationship, theories of strategy, itself an amorphous concept, change. Corbett’s Some Principle of Maritime Strategy, Slessor’s Air Power and Armies, Wylie’s Military Strategy: A General Theory of Power Control, and†¦show more content†¦Besides Mahan, the navy’s focus on decisive battle reflected the thinking of Continental strategic theorist Carl von Clausewitz. Corbett’s principles draw heavily upon Clausewitz, particul arly his emphasis on war being a continuation of policy XXX and the importance of correctly identifying the type of war in which a nation engaged XXX. Corbett’s use of Clausewitz was unique, since he was attempting to apply theories for land warfare to conflict at sea. Corbett attempted to apply concepts from land warfare to war upon the sea in an attempt to shape the thinking of his contemporaries. However, Corbett differed from Mahan and Clausewitz by deemphasizing the importance of fleet engagements in battles of annihilation. Instead, he focused on the necessity of maneuver to place the enemy at a disadvantage, as well as to control sea lines of communication. Corbett emphasized that these actions best suited an island nation like Britain XXX. He strove to place naval strategy within a larger framework of a maritime strategy working in conjunction with ground forces in support of limited war to protect national interests. Corbett’s focus on limited war was important because it emphasized using limited forces to maximum advantage in order to protect the nation’s economic livelihood. He realized that this was crucial for an island nation like Britain needed to use multiple instruments of