A Brief Guide to Maritime Strategy

by James R. Holmes

A Brief Guide to Maritime Strategy is a deliberately compact introductory work aimed at junior seafarers, those who make decisions affecting the sea services, and those who educate seafarers and decision-makers. It introduces readers to the main theoretical ideas that shape how statesmen and commanders make and execute maritime strategy in times of peace and war. Following in the spirit of Bernard Brodie's Layman's Guide to Naval Strategy, a World War II-era book whose title makes its purpose plain, it will be a companion volume to such works as Geoffrey Till's Seapower and Wayne Hughes's Fleet Tactics and Coastal Combat, the classic treatise that explains how to handle navies in fleet actions. It takes the mystery out of maritime strategy, which should not be an arcane art for practitioners or policy-makers, and will help the next generation think about strategy.

Genres: Military Fiction, History, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Naval History

196 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 1, 2019

Reviews

[Nick Quenga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not sure how I've been in the Navy this long and not been exposed to this book (although it came out in 2019, the predecessor was Layman's Guide to Naval Strategy by Bernard Brodie). It is short, logically presented, and easy to digest. It puts into perspective the "Why" and "What" for the Navy, leaving the "How" for Fleet Tactics and Operations by Wayne Hughes. Should be required reading for anyone with a stake in Naval procurement, appropriations, fleet design/deployment schedules, and their advisors.

Today, the US is falling into many errors, such as not having our own flagged merchant fleet, and letting companies seek economy of scale with ever larger bulk ships. We are also failing as a maritime power by not feeding the virtuous cycle of a large merchant marine supporting commerce overseas and the resulting taxes funding the Navy to protect the merchant marine. Our sequence of focus for the military should be people, ideas, then hardware, and we are almost always the exact opposite. The last 5 pages are also excellent at addressing maintaining a maritime culture, both in the Navy and the nation. Overall excellent read.

[Brenna Reach · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent summary of some important concepts, but pretty dry. It wasn’t a great audio book to listen to during commute/ chores- it was too easy to zone out. Author used “behoove” at least 15 times, which was tight

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

B: A Brief Guide to Maritime Strategy—I wish this book had been available when I was in college or when I seriously started reading about strategy. I started tick marking each reference that I had on my shelves (most) or on my Kindle (one or two) and came up with 35, starting with Machiavelli’s Discourses, Bemis’ Diplomatic History of the United States in college, as well as the Naval Institute’s Classics of Sea Power series that I started reading during and after attending the Armed Forces Staff College in the ‘80s. The book only has 3 chapters, the first is a summary of Mahan’s theories on generating maritime power, the second maintaining it, and the third melding Mahan, Corbett, and others on various means of employing a naval force.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title says exactly what this book is. Dr. Holmes curates the big ideas from the strategic heavy hitters (Mahan, Corbett, Machiavelli, and even Kissinger). He then presents them in a concise and logical format backed up with key quotes. While reading it will not make you an expert, it does show you the basis for modern maritime strategy. It is also an easy read that should take only a week or two to finish, something that cannot be said for some of the source material (**cough** Mahan).

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holmes walks the reading through centuries of maritime strategy, the costs, benifits and interpretations that the field has gone through in its history.

Why I started this book: My hold finally arrived, with a few others and I knew that I needed to jump on this Professional Reading title so that others could listen to it after me.

Why I finished it: Short, concise and clear this is an excellent introduction to maritime strategy and the great theorists in the field. Solid introduction.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thought provoking read.

Understanding strategy as a professional mariner is important it is not always easier. Mr. Holmes provides a short introduction to strategy that is needed at sea to maintain the upper hand against any for An easy read well worth the time investment to digest.

[Charles]

Exactly what was promised: a very brief and introductory overview to the theory of naval grand strategy. Useful for someone like me, with absolutely no background in military history or strategy, but interested in a book-format summary of how the canonical thinkers construct naval strategy frameworks.

[Dave Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly approachable
I saw that title and just had to give this book a try, fully expecting to drop it unfinished. Nope, this was fun even if a bit dry. The author tries to spice it up and humanize the technical material.
To sum it up, this mostly reads like aquatic von Clausewitz, but with humorous anecdotes.

[Kyle Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have relatively little exposure to maritime strategy and the literature associated with it. Given this, the book could have been shortened and would have benefited from better usage of section and sub-section headers to ensure key ideas/takeaways didn't get buried in the text. Regardless, I did come away with a better understanding of the maritime domain.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

While it can be a tough read at times, Holmes expertly uses history (mostly its biggest figures and events, it is a brief history after all) to convey both the reason for maintaining a navy, their possible missions, and the ways they can achieve these missions. Must read for anyone interested in maritime strategy, his notes provide a springboard for further study of the topic as well.

[Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick

This really quick read is chocked full of theories and definitive information on the application of maritime strategy. I blasted through this read and recommend it to my strategists and planner friends. Maybe some policy makers need to read it too.

[Matt Kilander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid, short survey of maritime strategy (Mahan, Corbett, etc…) with some real world, contemporary applications. Overly academic at some points when a simple explanation would do. Overall quick and efficient.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, brief introductory text on the subject.