Elizabeth Boyett
Military mass and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) size no longer define influence in today’s security environment. States without superpower arsenals shape coalition decisions, deter aggression, and extract alliance-wide concessions. They do this not by coercion, but by converting specialized strengths into strategic leverage. These middle powers lack coercive leverage to impose their preferences unilaterally, but possess the vision, credibility, and tactical acumen to turn narrow capabilities into tools of wide influence.
Lawrence Freedman notes that strategy is the art of converting resources into power, while Joseph Nye reminds us that credibility and narrative shape outcomes as much as raw force. The Build–Broadcast–Bolster (BBB) framework builds on these insights, showing how middle powers transform niche capacities into sustainable influence through three reinforcing mechanisms:Build: Developing niche capabilities or chokepoints, such as advanced manufacturing, control of critical minerals, strategic geography, or technological leadership, on which others depend.
Broadcast: Framing and signaling capabilities as indispensable to allies and adversaries.
Bolster: Locking in gains through institutions, governance, and durable credibility to ensure resilience and longevity.
Taken together, BBB mechanisms show how smaller states convert narrow strengths into an outsized influence. This is not an academic point for coalition planners and commanders; recognizing where partners bring leverage in contingency planning, wargaming, and alliance management can matter as much as counting battalions. Properly understood and integrated middle-power influence can shape operational outcomes well beyond traditional measures of force.
Conceptual Framework
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