Abstract

This paper examines the seaborne/airborne concept, an approach to expeditionary warfare developed in Britain in the early 1960s. It identifies the strategic challenges that forced Britain to reassess its approach to the projection of power overseas and identifies the ways in which the new concept sought to meet these challenges. The ‘lessons’ learned from experience at Suez (1956) and Kuwait (1961) and their impact on procurement and on inter-service relations is addressed. The paper also examines modern British doctrine for maritime expeditionary warfare and argues that contemporary concepts such as ‘Littoral Manoeuvre’ reflect the basic principles established in the 1960s.