Mahan argued great powers need far-flung naval bases to protect commerce

Evidence

One of the leaders responsible for the expansion of nineteenth-century bases outside North America was the man who came to be known as the “prophet” of the U.S. Navy, Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan. A historian of eighteenthand nineteenth-century Anglo-French competition for global preeminence, Mahan argued that great powers require strong navies capable of protecting a country’s commercial shipping and opening foreign markets to trade. And to have a strong navy, he held, a country needed a far-flung network of support bases. Under his influence, Navy officials pushed for the creation of ever more coaling and repair stations. — David Vine, Base Nation_ How U.S. Military Bases…, 71

Categorization

Category: Causal Relationships

• XREF: Connects to sea-power doctrine and 19th-century imperial logistics; Mahan’s ideas echo in contemporary discussions of chokepoints and foreign basing.