A navy can organize one way in peacetime and fight another way in war. A command responsible for twenty-four destroyers can promise that six are available more reliably than several small mixed formations can. Squadrons and flotillas therefore simplify administration and readiness planning. Operations require different capabilities to be combined around a particular mission. Task-force doctrine bridges the two systems by drawing ships from efficient standing organizations without treating the peacetime order of battle as the only workable combat formation.
Notable Point · 34:12-35:24
Peacetime administration and wartime organization solve different problems
Standing homogeneous units make ships easier to maintain and supply, while wartime task forces recombine those ships around an operation.