August 8, 2016
Add Navy Destroyers, Not Brigades to Deter Russia
By Colin Reed
In 478 BC, formal delegations from all across the Greek world met on the small Aegean island of Delos. They had just repelled an invasion by the greatest threat any of them could recall in their lifetimes – the Persian Empire – and they were determined to cement the coalition that had enabled their victory into a formal, enduring, alliance. After much negotiation about force contributions, yearly meetings, and all the other nuts and bolts of international cooperation, the members gathered at the edge of the sea, and ceremonially cast iron ingots into the greenish-blue surf. The ritual symbolized the intense commitment of the alliance, which would endure until the bars floated to the surface.
To the many tiny island nations of the Aegean and coastal Asia Minor, it was more than a poetic gesture – it was a very real commitment of mainland power Athens to their collective defense against a Persian threat which was, for allies such as Lesbos and Chios, a next-door neighbor. The casting of the ingots committed Athens to projecting an umbrella of power across an area unprecedented in size for the small city-state – and yet, that is exactly what Athens accomplished over the next century, using strong naval forces capable of responding to diverse threats all around the Aegean.
http://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2016/08/08/add_navy_destroyers_not_brigades_to_deter_russia_109681.html
