Disarmament failed when threats did not share British assumptions

The attraction of disarmament was straightforward: if every power reduced its forces, no one would retain the means to start a major war. The practical problem was that Germany under Hitler, Italy under Mussolini, and Japan in repeated Far Eastern confrontations did not share British assumptions. Service requests can reflect institutional self-interest or unfounded fear, and they can also answer genuine threats. Their value depends on whether the requested capability matches observable strategic conditions.