British Far East planning assumed that local forces might have to fight from an inferior position until reinforcements arrived. Surface command could not be taken for granted as it was in European planning. Mine warfare and submarines offered ways to impose risk without meeting a stronger fleet directly. Stealth and denial therefore gained value in distant waters. The Abdiels fit this wider interwar problem of holding exposed positions before the main fleet arrived.
Notable Point · 2:55-3:16
Mine warfare for an outmatched Far East force
The Royal Navy's Far East problem made stealth and mine warfare attractive when local forces might begin from an inferior position.