Disperse at Pearl Harbor and accelerate escorts

The Pacific Fleet's concentration at Pearl Harbor cannot be changed without overturning Roosevelt's policy, despite the objections of commanders such as James Richardson and Husband Kimmel. Kimmel nevertheless tries to reduce exposure by keeping as many ships at sea as circumstances permit. The Atlantic submarine war supplies ample contemporary warning that the United States also needs many more convoy escorts, so accelerating that program does not depend on hindsight about Pearl Harbor. Carrier construction is already gathering momentum, leaving dispersal, escorts, and supporting facilities as the more immediate January 1941 reforms.