Britain's main fleet was concentrated against Germany in European waters, so it supported stronger naval institutions in Australia and New Zealand to help secure the Far East. Japan was a valuable ally, but British policy combined trust with verification and avoided complete dependence. New Zealand paid for a battlecruiser operated on its behalf by the Royal Navy, while the new Royal Australian Navy fielded its own battlecruiser. Dominion procurement and infrastructure could therefore distribute strategic risk across a global alliance system.
Notable Point · 11:26-12:36
Prewar Australasian investment shared the Far Eastern burden
Britain supported stronger Australian and New Zealand naval forces because its main fleet faced Germany in Europe and it did not want Far Eastern security to depend entirely on Japan.