Now the Bush administration is arguing that such a purely defensive policy has become outdated in an age of international terrorism, rogue states and unconventional weapons.
Their presence last week would not be significant as the visitors adopted a largely defensive policy, but the failure of the midfield to produce the aggressiveness Burley had demanded led to a largely erratic and fragmented team performance.
"China adheres to the road of peaceful development and pursues a defensive national defense policy," Jiang Yu, the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, said in a statement.
"China pursues a defense policy that is defensive in nature".
It might be that, in view of his own conservative and defensive policy, he saw an advantage in having Italy as a third partner in the maintenance of the status quo against possible Russian expansion.
As there is no clear sense of priority about how to deal with this divergence of views, Mr Miliband ends up with a defensive immigration policy, without sounding remotely enthused about it and a welfare message defined by attacks on the "bedroom tax" as a moral outrage, followed by a hand-brake turn and a clampdown on young welfare claimants.
He was prepared to rein in an offensive-minded military to keep intact his strategic defensive policy by firing the very popular General Douglas MacArthur.
"China pursues a national defense policy which is defensive in nature," the white paper said.
"China follows a national defense policy that is defensive in nature," Yang said, adding that the country's military build-up and reforms are aimed at maintaining sovereignty, security and territorial integrity and guaranteeing China's peaceful development.
The King's advisors on the council of war had overturned Rupert's defensive policies, sending the garrisons of Reading and Abingdon on an offensive in the West Country.
