Overseas bases need docks, stores, and training facilities

Access to a location provides only part of the support needed to sustain a fleet. The historical Mediterranean network included Gibraltar, Malta, and Alexandria, while Singapore and Hong Kong supplied further overseas examples. These facilities had infrastructure such as floating dry docks, stockpiles, and fuel stores alongside Britain's domestic dockyards. A smaller modern navy changes the scale of the requirement, but access arrangements still need to be judged against the facilities actually available. Training locations in Kenya and Canada help readiness only when forces use them. Gurkha recruitment likewise requires effective training to turn recruits into capable personnel.