Why the Chinese play cricket (an Imperial Federation timeline)

[diestormlie]

Yes right now ((as of 1910) the Empire could launch a successful opposed amphibious assault on say Formosa from Hong Kong with say two or three divisions as long as the opposition wasn't too heavy. But more important, they could keep them supplied without taking a reasonably significant port. That is their advantage, coordination and logistics.

As I understand it, this is an essentially unique capability (at this time ITL.) What are the barriers preventing the other great powers from developing a similar capability? (Now, I know that you can't just snap your fingers and have the capability overnight, but you know what I mean.)

(We're presupposing that other Great Powers would genuinely benefit from having the capability, which isn't a given.

* Political/Civil? (Government/Establishment doesn't see a need, or wants to keep the military from having the capability for whatever reason.)
* Doctrinal/Conceptual? (Military Establishment doesn't see the need, or maybe even can't even fathom that it's something that's possible.)
* Interservice squabbling? (The Navy won't stand for it unless they control the landing forces, and the army won't stand for it unless they control the boats etc.)
* Technical? (Relevant Defence Industrial Base doesn't have the capability/spare capacity to produce the necessary kit.)
* Lastly and probably most importantly, Financial? (AKA: They have a use for the capability, can see the Doctrinal use, can produce or procure the relevant kit, but just don't want to have to pay for it.)

 

[Miss Construction]

As I understand it, this is an essentially unique capability (at this time ITL.) What are the barriers preventing the other great powers from developing a similar capability? (Now, I know that you can't just snap your fingers and have the capability overnight, but you know what I mean.)

(We're presupposing that other Great Powers would genuinely benefit from having the capability, which isn't a given.

* Political/Civil? (Government/Establishment doesn't see a need, or wants to keep the military from having the capability for whatever reason.)
* Doctrinal/Conceptual? (Military Establishment doesn't see the need, or maybe even can't even fathom that it's something that's possible.)
* Interservice squabbling? (The Navy won't stand for it unless they control the landing forces, and the army won't stand for it unless they control the boats etc.)
* Technical? (Relevant Defence Industrial Base doesn't have the capability/spare capacity to produce the necessary kit.)
* Lastly and probably most importantly, Financial? (AKA: They have a use for the capability, can see the Doctrinal use, can produce or procure the relevant kit, but just don't want to have to pay for it.)

Depends on which Great Power. For the European Great powers with exception of France, all of them apply, For France, locked in a course leading to the Great War, the reasons are political and financial. They could do it, but the prospect of war with Germany is taking priority politically and what money there is for naval expansion is going to building up the battle fleet.

For the US, the reason is overwhelmingly financial. They have everything else, even the politicians say it would be nice to have. But with Congress barely willing to fund new dreadnoughts, any thought of building up the Marine Corps is pure fantasy. And finally we come to Japan. They see the need but pretty much everything else is against it.