Britain's three prospective naval enemies

Britain had to prepare for possible naval wars against Germany, Italy, and Japan. British planners could not know which would become the next enemy, while fighting all three at once represented the nightmare case. A fleet optimized only for Germany would neglect the Mediterranean and the distant infrastructure required for a Far Eastern war. The requirement therefore shaped ships, escorts, bases, and logistics across several theatres at the same time. A German-only reading of British interwar force planning understates the strategic problem the Royal Navy was trying to solve.