Land, Sea or Air?

Throughout history many nations have had to make hard choices between a land and a maritime strategy. This study covers the history of such choices, beginning with the Persian invasion of Greece in 490BC and ending with the many and various choices facing the Western world in the aftermath of the Cold War. The author recalls those occasions in European history when states had to choose whether to wage war on land, or on the sea, and latterly in the air as well. He describes the results of their decisions about allocating defence resources and considers whether a different mix of land, sea and air forces might have produced different results. This survey of defence strategy starts in 490 BC with the Persian invasion of Greece and ends with some remarks about strategic choices after the Cold War.