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III.

ALTERNATIVE DRAFT FOR CHAPTER I, PARAGRAPH 1, OF A MEMO- RANDUM ON THE PRINCIPLES GOVERNING THE DEFENCE OF THE UNITED KINGDOM.

(Submitted for the consideration of the Committee of Imperial Defence by the Chief of the Imperial General Staff.)

1. Imperial Defence.-An Empire which does not possess the power of free inter- communication between its parts is liable to attack and disintegration in detail. The maintenance of our superiority at sea over the naval forces of any combination of Powers likely to be arrayed against us is therefore an essential factor in shaping the defensive policy of the Empire.

With this object in view, the policy of His Majesty's Government is to maintain the British Navy at a two-Power standard of strength. The maintenance of this standard will, it is considered, serve to ensure our superiority at sea in all reasonably probable circumstances.

Without superiority at sea the Navy cannot control the maritime routes by which the Empire is connected, British territory cannot be protected against organized invasion from the sea, our oversea garrisons cannot be reinforced, our land forces cannot be rapidly and safely transported to any point outside the Empire where our vital interests may be threatened, and the security of our seaborne trade in war cannot be ensured.

While the maintenance of sea command protects the United Kingdom against organized invasion from the sea, it is considered necessary, as an additional safeguard, that our Army for Home Defence should be strong enough to compel an enemy contem- plating invasion to come in such force that there would be no chance of his transports evading our fleets.

In the discharge of their obligations the Admiralty claim the power of disposing of their forces in the manner most certain to secure success, and object to limiting the action of any part of them to the immediate vicinity of places which, in their opinion, may be more effectively protected by operations at a distance.

In the same way the integrity of the Empire cannot be assured unless those portions of our land forces which are primarily intended for oversea action are free to fulfil their proper rôle.

The object to be aimed at, therefore, is that the Army for Home Defence should be able to provide the measure of land defence required for the security of the United Kingdom without keeping in this country the Regular troops wanted for field service elsewhere. (If this condition is not fulfilled on the outbreak of war, it may be necessary to retain in this country some of these Regular troops, as explained in paragraph 9.*)

While Home Defence is only a part of the greater problem of Imperial Defence, it is obvious that the United Kingdom should be adequately safeguarded, because a successful blow struck at the heart of the Empire would be more instantly fatal than any other form of attack.

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Paragraph 6 on page 3 of C.I.D. Paper 48-.A.

PRINTED AT QUE POREIGN OFFICE BY J. W, Harrisox—12/4 1911.

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