The First Sea Lord must absorb reports, move ships, manage logistics, appoint and assess commanders, attend meetings, and make decisions from a vast flow of information. Battenberg's habit of devouring reports could expose warning signs such as impossible rates of fire achieved by bypassing safety procedures. Senior officers still need oversight because expertise does not prevent a command team from following a flawed chain of reasoning. Strategic ideas must be handed to staffs for development while the First Sea Lord keeps the larger administrative system moving. Sustained scrutiny of reports would connect administrative work with fleet readiness and operational decisions.
Notable Point · 1:51:25-1:54:49
The First Sea Lord as information manager
A wartime First Sea Lord must read reports, test implausible results, assign ships and commanders, and have specialist staffs develop operational ideas.