Summary: a quick victory, but Kitchener was concerned with winning the war in the long run. The strategical discussions had shifted from checking German conquests to how best to win the war. The burden on Kitchener as the chief military adviser to the government increased as the horizon widened. Sir John French's proposal for operations at Ostend and Zeebrugge, which would allow the Fleet to cooperate with the Army and relieve the Admiralty of submarine attack worries, was considered. The campaign was well-considered, aiming to clear the Belgian coast, and involved reinforcing existing divisions with fifty new battalions. The plan involved coordinating operations with the Navy to address the threat posed by the enemy's establishment on the flank of the cross-Channel routes and the potential for amphibious operations. While Sir John French had successfully countered the German advance towards Calais, the focus was shifted towards the recovery of Ostend and Zeebrugge as part of a long-term strategy for victory.