The book explores British naval policy during the first two governments of Harold Wilson (1964-70), analysing how the Navy Department of the Ministry of Defence and the Navy's professional leadership dealt with six years of defence reviews, retrenchment and strategic re-orientation. Focusing primarily on policy and strategic matters, the book incorporates wider historical consideration, reviewing other factors that influenced policy-making, offering a vivid insight into the interactions of government and military at a critical juncture in the changing nature of Britain's global role.

Edward Hampshire was educated at Magdalen College, Oxford and King's College, London. After ten years at the Public Record Office and National Archives, latterly as Principal Records Specialist with responsibility for diplomatic, colonial and intelligence records, he is now a senior lecturer at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst specialising in defence and foreign policy. Dr Hampshire has written on naval, defence, end of empire and intelligence history, as well as on archives policy. He is also an Associate Editor for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office historians.

List of Abbreviations; Glossary; Preface; Introduction; Chapter 1 The Royal Navy in 1964; Chapter 2 Emerging from Mountbatten's Shadow; Chapter 3 The Navy Alone; Chapter 4 The Cancellation of CVA-01; Chapter 5 The Navy and the Defence Expenditure Studies; Chapter 6 The Mediterranean Strategy; Chapter 7 Building a New Fleet; Chapter 8 Conclusion;