A no-Panama-Canal counterfactual asks how the United States could protect two oceans without moving ships quickly between them. The navy would need substantially separate Atlantic and Pacific fleets much earlier, since abandoning either theatre would leave a strategic vacuum. That force requirement would make Washington Naval Treaty limits much harder for the United States to accept. Concentrating against Japan in the Pacific would also push Washington towards an alliance in which the Royal Navy carried more of the Atlantic burden. The scenario shows how canal infrastructure affects fleet size, diplomacy, and treaty policy.
Notable Point · 1:06:30-1:07:38
Why the Panama Canal changes US fleet strategy
Without a Panama Canal, the US Navy would need stronger separate Atlantic and Pacific fleets, altering treaty arithmetic and alliance choices.