Early plans treated Micronesian occupations as secondary to a rapid advance toward the Philippines. The 1932 version assumed that dispersed supply ships could avoid Japanese raiders on routes through the South Pacific. The criticism of that assumption draws on the First World War experience and the need for convoys. If Japan closed the Philippine ports, the fleet would have to pause in the Carolines or Marshalls, seize bases and regroup before advancing. The Royal Road alternative made secure communications a condition of arriving in the western Pacific ready to fight.
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War Plan Orange: bases and secure communications
A rapid dash to the Philippines depended on vulnerable supply assumptions, prompting a plan for intermediate bases and secure sea communications.