Sims's book gives figures suggesting that, at some points, only 8-10 percent of Germany's submarine force could operate forward. That limit helps explain why total submarine numbers overstated the force available to interfere with the Atlantic crossing. The American transport system moved hundreds of thousands of troops by combining trained personnel with ships and organization. For Sims, the achievement supplies an argument for preserving that ability after the emergency. The implied question is whether a country with America's economy and population should retain the capacity to send large forces wherever required. Global military lift supplies Sims with a concrete example of great-power capability.
Notable Point · 1:08:28-1:10:08
Naval lift as a great-power capability
Sims turns the transatlantic movement of an army into a case for retaining the ships, people, and organization that let the United States project power globally.