A naval staff could turn intelligence into workable operations

The same staff reform needed for research funding also changes how the Admiralty prepares operations. A proposed British landing on Germany's Baltic coast shows the problem: naval leaders could not immediately answer Army questions about German railway mobilization even though naval intelligence held relevant route and junction information. Naval intelligence had identified railway junctions through which German reinforcements would have to pass, including one that could be controlled from the sea. Its proposal was to secure that position before landing farther along the coast. Intelligence, communications, logistics, and construction offices existed, but without an operational staff they remained disconnected silos. A modest permanent staff could assemble those inputs into plans, brief senior officers, and make inter-service debate more informed even when the resulting plan remained contestable.