Since 1927, British planning had treated dispatching a fleet to the Far East as a priority that Mediterranean anxiety should not obstruct. The route through Gibraltar, Malta, Alexandria, and Suez tied eastern strategy to European security and imperial communications. By 1931, planners doubted that the weakened Royal Navy could cover Japan and still deny the strongest European naval power control of trade routes essential to a country importing half its food. Germany's rise then increased demands on the Army and RAF while capital ships remained exceptionally expensive. By 1934, the Far Eastern and Mediterranean commitments were joined by Germany as the greatest danger in Europe.
Notable Point · 7:27-9:41
Britain's global commitments and multiple naval threats
Routes through Gibraltar, Malta, Alexandria, and Suez linked the Mediterranean to Britain's Far Eastern commitments while Japan, Italy, Germany, and food imports competed for the same limited fleet.