Global naval power depends on transport and logistics

In this framework, a global power can deploy conventional fighting forces wherever they are needed, while the label superpower is reserved for states with nuclear capability. Aircraft carriers, large air-transport capacity, and an international logistics network are practical signs of worldwide reach. This definition helps explain why British industrial strength in the Pacific cannot be measured from the United Kingdom alone, since Canada, Australia, India, Africa, and the rest of the empire contributed to the war effort. Global reach therefore differs from the narrower question of which navy has the most powerful combat units.