Chapter 1411 - 6: Naval Proportions

Chapter 1411: Chapter 6: Naval Proportions

At nine in the morning, the conference officially commenced.

The main controversy at this London naval conference is not in Europe, but rather the intense game between the United Kingdom and East Africa, the United States, and Japan.

In terms of Europe, Germany and Austria-Hungary are less focused on their navies due to their poor naval performance in World War I.

After all, the development of the German Navy before the war was deeply influenced by William II’s personal views. Before William II, Germany was never a nation that valued naval power, and during World War I, even as the world’s second-largest navy, it could not overcome geographical limitations. Hence, even if William II still lacked insight, he would no longer blindly pursue dreams of a grand navy—it’s a matter of cost-effectiveness.

As for Austria-Hungary, it was never a major naval power from the beginning to the end. Even in the latest naval race, its navy was not prioritized, and its naval plan was the most conservative among the Great Powers.

Meanwhile, France and the United Kingdom supported the development of the French Navy to some extent, given the "friendship" forged during World War I. At least the Anglo-French conflict has been somewhat diffused by Germany.

Beyond that, the United Kingdom also hopes to continue collaborating with France in order to counter East Africa, the United States, and Japan—these new maritime powers—and thus stabilize the old international order, as England and France were beneficiaries under the old order.

Finally, France lacks the national strength to take a more active role in maritime policy, so the British understand that even without restricting the French Navy, France can only play a supportive, not dominant, role in their cooperation.

Therefore, Britain’s Prime Minister David spoke at the conference: "The lessons of the world war tell us that the expansion of naval forces and military competition have caused great harm to the peace of Europe and the world."

"Countries around the world should reduce their naval forces and stop constructing new warships to prevent a new wave of naval competitions. We, the United Kingdom, are willing to set an example by ceasing unrestricted and unreasonable naval competitions."

"And countries around the world should formulate corresponding naval development strategies according to their national conditions and the need for international community stability."

"Take Germany and Austria-Hungary, for example—both their main maritime interests lie in the Baltic Sea and Adriatic Sea, so from the beginning their navies should not be built blindly beyond their needs. In this regard, Austria-Hungary has done quite well."

"As a world maritime order leader and maintainer, we the United Kingdom, being a maritime nation with extensive overseas territories and interests, should inherently hold the largest naval proportion."

"The same logic applies to France, which has always been a significant naval power with extensive ocean resources and interests to maintain, playing important roles in the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and other maritime regions. Therefore, both our nations should hold the first and second naval proportions in Europe."

Prime Minister David intentionally argued Britain’s position in both world and European contexts, thus indicating that being the first in Europe equates to being the first in the world, specifically highlighting the unshakable status of the British Royal Navy globally.

As for France, even if the United Kingdom wishes to support the French Navy as second in the world, France lacks this capability, thus can only hold the second position in Europe.

Following Prime Minister David’s initial remarks, other nations focused their attention on the German and Austria-Hungary representatives.

However, unfortunately, there were no signs of "anger" or "resentment" from the representatives of these two countries, which stirred some unease in other nations, especially Japan and the United States.

Countries that had previously attended two secret peace conferences were already prepared for this in their minds, and naturally, wouldn’t tear apart the British proposal.

Regarding the reactions of other country representatives, Britain’s Prime Minister David was quite satisfied, and he continued, saying: "Furthermore, in Europe, only one great power, that being Russia, cannot be realized for now. However, we are all aware that suppressing and blocking Russia is the basic task and responsibility of all countries present, but this is not the main focus of this conference; later, we will hold a special meeting to discuss the Russian issue."

"Next, we must focus on discussing matters related to naval development for countries outside of Europe."

"Since Europe has already expressed its stance in limiting naval development, countries outside Europe should also make positive contributions for the peace and stability of the world."

"So..." Prime Minister David revealing his intentions, said: "Countries like East Africa, the United States, and Japan should also impose limits on their naval forces, reverting to normal levels. I wonder what views you three nations hold?"

The United States and Japan naturally are unwilling to easily reduce their naval forces, so their representatives intend to bargain for favorable terms.

At this juncture, the East African representative began to cooperate tacitly with the United Kingdom to disrupt the proceedings.

The East African Navy Commander, also the head of the current East African delegation, General Bruce, said: "We in East Africa support Prime Minister David’s views. At the current stage, the unrestricted expansion and blind building of naval forces by countries around the world have critically disrupted the world order."

"East Africa is willing to make concessions for world peace. However, considering East Africa is likewise a maritime power, our East African navy must secure a position among the world’s navies. Nevertheless, we will naturally shoulder corresponding responsibilities."