Uncertain waters

摘要

In a committee room in a near-deserted House of Commons in late November 2011, the First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope, affirmed the importance of maritime power in the 21st Century and the Royal Navy's role in providing the UK with what he referred to as 'engagement without embroilment'.1In an address to an audience invited by the Henry Jackson Society, the Admiral argued that the UK's maritime power remains "a compelling expression of this country's influence", and that in today's interconnected and uncertain world, the ability to influence people and events from the sea "at a time and place of political choosing" was vital.