MacArthur, Singapore, and the assumptions behind Force Z

Did MacArthur's forward-defence claims for the Philippines shape the British defence of Singapore?

Not decisively, because Admiral Phillips also consulted US naval planners whose fallback assumptions were closer to operating from Singapore.

Phillips did not simply accept MacArthur's optimism about holding the Philippines; he also consulted American naval leadership about falling back toward Singapore. Many of the strongest British staff officers had already been drawn into the European and North African theatres, leaving weaker staff and command teams in the Far East. This criticism applies to staff and command positions, without making the same judgment about the fighting units. Phillips is assessed favourably, with his difficulties connected to treaty legacies and prewar habits as well as events on the day. One communication problem concerned the meaning of air support: Mediterranean practice distinguished fighter cover from strike aircraft, while local messages did not consistently make that distinction. Battleships particularly wanted fighters, whereas the availability of aircraft to attack enemy forces was a separate question.