British Indian Ocean forces had spent much of the war looking toward North Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Atlantic. That orientation was understandable, but it left insufficient senior attention fixed on Japan. The best available commander for running the eastern naval force should have held a dedicated regional appointment. The proposed structure placed the forward headquarters at Singapore and retained Sri Lanka as a reserve and fallback base.
Notable Point · 51:46-52:50
A command facing east needed a forward and reserve base
Britain kept looking west toward the Mediterranean and Atlantic, which supports a case for a dedicated eastern commander at Singapore with Sri Lanka as the fallback.