How should a navy prepare to produce and distribute missiles at wartime consumption rates?
Short answerBuild slack into production, stockpile munitions and components, and use auxiliaries and forward bases to reload ships rather than relying on just-in-time supply.
NotesA missile factory needs enough production lines and trained people, supported by spare components at every stage of the supply chain. Those buffers allow final assembly to continue when an upstream delivery slips. Guaranteed output can cost more than a tightly scheduled peacetime system because stock and unused capacity must be maintained. Auxiliaries could carry reloads to a harbour, while forward bases could hold missiles and the cranes needed to load them aboard warships. Diego Garcia, Singapore, Bahrain, and the Falklands are suggested as possible locations for British forward stocks.