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The ‘What Ifs?’ of Strategic Planning The Interwar Imperial Defence
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by Jeremy Black
his paper focuses on speculations in the 1920s and 1930s about the next war centring on the problems created for Britain by uncertainty over which power would be their leading opponent. Much of the discussion on the British military in this period focuses on the question of whether the correct responses were made to the possibilities of new technology, notably in the shape of aircraft and tanks. This question looks toward the issue of the British responses to the German and Japanese offensives in 1940-2, and, notably, the problem of the ability to adapt to the challenges of blitzkrieg.
These questions are indeed valuable. However, they should be regarded as linked to, indeed subordinate to, the tasking of the military, and notably the question of likely opponents. In short, technology and politics need to be reconciled, with strategy as the active response to the geopolitical challenges faced, and strategic planning a key context for procurement, training and deployment. An indicative, and far from exhaustive list, of specific concerns and tasks is useful. The First World War ended in 1918. Tasks in 1919-21 included occupation responsibilities, notably in Germany but also in Turkey,
