Beatty argued that Far East infrastructure could not wait for war

Treaty restrictions and Singapore's location explain the choice, but Admiral David Beatty adds a timing argument: bases, logistics, and security systems are easiest to prepare before war threatens. British planners also considered an American-Japanese conflict likely and believed Britain could not ignore the result. The Anglo-Japanese Alliance was not an automatic commitment in every one-on-one war; it guaranteed assistance when the partner faced two powers, discouraging an opponent from bringing in allies. Japan's effective anti-submarine contribution in the Mediterranean during the First World War also made it a proven naval partner rather than an abstract diplomatic convenience. Postponing infrastructure sacrificed preparation for a crisis many officials already thought probable.