Different rank systems complicated Allied command

American officers could exercise senior commands while their substantive ranks remained below those of British counterparts. A rule based on seniority could therefore place a British officer above an American officer even when the Americans supplied the larger force. The British Pacific Fleet provides a later example of the tact this required: senior British commanders chose carefully when to appear alongside American formations. As the British contribution grew, the position changed. A meeting without ranks was one of the conference's own arrangements for managing the difficulty.