Fuel is the decisive constraint in a 1939 Pacific war

The proposed campaign moves in stages, allowing the Allies to build up at Singapore and later positions while Japan expends fuel on operations, convoy protection, and counter-raiding. Successive advances could delay close operations against Japan for roughly ten months, making time an Allied advantage. Without Singapore or the Dutch East Indies as captured fuel sources, Japan's oil position becomes far more precarious. British losses remain likely, but the strategic aim is to make a decisive Japanese battle impossible or unaffordable.