Mahan On Naval Strategy: Selections From The Wr... Review

Mahan’s strategy begins with the concept of "command of the sea." To Mahan, the ocean was not a barrier but a "great highway" for commerce and communication. He argued that the primary objective of any navy is to drive the enemy’s flag from this highway. This is achieved not through the slow attrition of commerce raiding ( guerre de course ), but through the decisive defeat of the enemy’s fleet. By securing control over maritime trade routes, a nation can sustain its own economy while simultaneously strangling the resources of its adversary. The Principle of Concentration

Central to Mahan’s tactical philosophy is the "concentration of force." He was a staunch critic of dispersing naval assets to protect individual ports or chase small privateers. Instead, he advocated for a unified, "capital ship" fleet capable of delivering a crushing blow in a singular, massive engagement. Borrowing from Napoleonic land tactics, Mahan believed that by concentrating superior fire-power at a decisive point, a smaller nation could defeat a larger, more spread-out opponent. This emphasis on the battleship fleet dominated naval architecture and doctrine well into the World Wars. Geopolitics and Strategic Positions Mahan on Naval Strategy: Selections from the Wr...

Beyond the hardware of the navy, Mahan emphasized the importance of geographic "choke points" and overseas bases. For a navy to be effective, it requires secure "stations" for refueling and repair. He famously advocated for the United States to acquire Hawaii and build a canal across the Isthmus of Panama. These positions served as "multipliers" of sea power, allowing a fleet to pivot between oceans and maintain a persistent presence far from home shores. Without these strategic points, a navy is a "land bird," unable to fly far from the coast. Conclusion Mahan’s strategy begins with the concept of "command