The Admiralty failed to explain the scheme even to senior officers, allowing inaccurate assumptions to harden. Douglas Committee testimony combined status anxiety with exhaustion after several years of naval change, so opponents could present further reform as destabilizing whether or not they understood its details. Admiral Beaumont complained about what followed common entry without articulating much beyond the possibility that engineers and Marines could become captains. The opposition mixed genuine communication failure with fear that opening executive command would erode conventional officers' expected career path.
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Opposition thrived on status anxiety and poor communication
Evidence from the Douglas Committee shows opposition rooted in misinformation, reform fatigue, and fear that engineers or Marines would compete for command.