The First Fleet broadly succeeded because it founded a colony, established Port Jackson, and created a Norfolk Island outpost for timber and flax. The expedition still arrived with an unbalanced population and an improvised security structure. Before modern policing, soldiers had to guard convicts, yet the same force could not safely monopolize the governor's protection, naval stores, courts, and local commerce. A proposed alternative assigns Marines to the governor, magazines, and naval stores while a separate army-style formation handles the wider garrison and penal duties. Settler-soldiers receiving land in return for periodic service could have added useful trades and created a militia with a direct stake in the colony's survival. Several more transports and storeships would have been proportionate to a 15,000-mile voyage, especially when Royal Navy logistics for much nearer fleet operations used more supply capacity.
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A successful landing with an underdesigned security system
The mission founded settlements at Port Jackson and Norfolk Island, but lacked the separate penal, garrison, stores-security, and militia functions needed for durable government.