One option being discussed is an over-the-horizon British rapid reaction force based at sea.

BBC: UK boosts Sierra Leone force

Each morning, fleets of cobalt blue boats still head out from port, scattering across a vast Atlantic horizon - but now the daily haul is sea bass, not sugar.

BBC: Morocco��s best for coastal retreats: Essaouira

The sea offers space, a view to a distant horizon, a physical perspective less oppressive than hard-edged close-up urban architecture.

BBC: Alone at the seaside