American power remains short of coalition dominance

The United States of 1901-1903 was a major power, though the largest European powers did not automatically fear it. Naval funding arrived unevenly, the army suffered from weak sustainment, and the country was still building the infrastructure and industrial capacity that would later transform its power. Admiral Dewey was capable and American ships could have fought hard. They would nevertheless have faced about fifteen British, German, and Italian ships whose selected crews were better prepared than the Spanish squadrons defeated in 1898. A successful challenge would have required a much larger mobilization than the force available around Puerto Rico. The Washington Protocols consequently emerged from multilateral bargaining rather than uncontested American naval dominance.