Fleet Problem 22 could not be supported because Hawaii lacked supplies and available ships were already committed to moving matériel between bases. The cancellation became public news rather than a hidden administrative adjustment. Japanese observers could therefore see that the forward fleet lacked the logistical depth to conduct its signature large exercise. A deterrent force that cannot train at full scale advertises the very weakness it is supposed to conceal.
Notable Point · 1:48:44-1:50:30
What a cancelled fleet exercise revealed
The cancellation of Fleet Problem 22 becomes a concrete indicator of Hawaii's logistical weakness before the attack.