Global presence depended on regional and diplomatic knowledge

A global navy had to be present before a crisis because a force sailing from home could not solve every distant problem in time. The Army and RAF made different interwar bets; the Navy relied on a worldwide network of ships, commands, and experienced people. Repeated postings produced officers who knew regional ports, governments, and Foreign Office counterparts. Harwood and the diplomat Millington-Drake had a long-standing relationship, and their wives had exchanged letters over years. Global naval deployment worked through an equally global diplomatic service.