British Strategic Thought

If, as is generally acknowledged, the capacity for violence is inherent in a world of independent sovereign states, then no one should be surprised, either by the high priority which states put upon the acquisition of military power, or by the frequency with which states threaten and use it in their relations with each other. And, equally, given its importance, no one should be surprised that military power has, over the years,attracted analysis and speculation. Strategic thought is the description usually given to the considerable body of analytical propositions which have been advanced about the use and misuse of military power.