Page "Grand strategy" Paragraph 9

An example of modern grand strategy is the decision of the Allies in World War II to concentrate on the defeat of Germany first.

The decision, a joint agreement made after the attack on Pearl Harbor ( 1941 ) had drawn the US into the war, was a sensible one in that Germany was the most powerful member of the Axis, and directly threatened the existence of the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union.

Conversely, while Japan's conquests garnered considerable public attention, they were mostly in colonial areas deemed less essential by planners and policymakers.

The specifics of Allied military strategy in the Pacific War were therefore shaped by the lesser resources made available to the theatre commanders.