A Far East Fleet built around Indomitable, Prince of Wales, and Repulse would have required more than ships. The Royal Navy would also have needed to decide whether Admiral Tom Phillips remained the operational fleet commander and whether James Somerville went east. One possible arrangement placed Phillips over the theater and Somerville under him with the fleet. The counterfactual shows how reinforcement creates command-and-control decisions alongside added combat power.
Notable Point · 16:54-17:36
Phillips, Somerville, and Far East Fleet command
A surviving carrier-centered Force Z creates a command question: whether Tom Phillips keeps fleet command or takes a theater role above James Somerville.