The Royal Navy lacked an early army-style general staff, so the Naval Intelligence Division took on planning because it held the necessary information and trained officers. The division could develop operational plans and supply analysis, but those tasks did not give it the broader institutional role of a staff. Secrecy also encouraged it to withhold work from government figures it regarded as security risks. Intelligence could support a general staff, but it could not replace one.
Notable Point · 29:31-31:20
Why naval intelligence was not a general staff
The Naval Intelligence Division could draft plans because it held vital information, but secrecy and institutional purpose kept it from replacing a general staff.