Selborne, Kerr, and Fisher share responsibility for the scheme

Selborne described Kerr as equally responsible for approving the common-entry system, while Fisher administered it as Second Sea Lord. Kerr's reputation as a cautious officer of the old school matters because it challenges the idea that the scheme was merely one of Fisher's personal revolutions. Selborne's retrospective account also distinguishes emergency cross-branch competence from the stronger claim that officers would remain freely interchangeable throughout their careers. His description places specialization at lieutenant rank while preserving a shared foundation and a hoped-for, limited capacity to cross branch boundaries.