Editing War of Jenkins' Ear (section)

===French neutrality===
When war broke out in 1739, both Britain and Spain expected that France would join the war on the Spanish side. This played a large role in the tactical calculations of the British. If the Spanish and French were to operate together, they would have a superiority of ninety [[ships of the line]].{{sfn|Browning|1993|p=98}} In 1740, there was an [[invasion scare]] when it was believed that a French fleet at [[Brest, France|Brest]] and a Spanish fleet at [[Ferrol, Galicia|Ferrol]] were about to combine and launch an invasion of England.{{sfn|Longmate|1990|p=146}} Although this proved not to be the case, the British kept the bulk of their naval and land forces in or near southern England to act as a [[Deterrence theory|deterrent]].

Many in the British government were afraid to launch a major offensive against the Spanish, for fear that a major British victory would draw France into the war to protect the [[balance of power (international relations)|balance of power]].{{sfn|Simms|2009|p=278}}