After all, the East African Navy was not a global navy. This was evident from its distribution: its permanent presence and main areas of activity were limited to the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Pacific region.
It occupied three of the four great oceans, but apart from the Indian Ocean, the other two were naval forces in name only.
Take the Pacific Fleet, for instance. Its area of responsibility appeared vast, covering the entire Pacific Ocean, but that had no practical significance. Realistically, if disputes or conflicts erupted in the Pacific direction, the Pacific Fleet could only exert its influence in the Nanyang region.
After all, within the Pacific Ocean, the only threats to East Africa were the United States and the Imperial Japanese Navy, and both nations were far stronger than East Africa in the Pacific.
The Atlantic Ocean was much the same. The East African Navy's activities were mainly confined to the South Atlantic, and even there, East Africa had military bases only in the eastern part to support it.
The Indian Ocean Fleet was the East African Navy's sole regional fleet worthy of the name. Within the Indian Ocean, East Africa had only Britain as a rival, and the British Navy's strength in the Indian Ocean did not match that of the East African Indian Ocean Fleet.
Furthermore, over the years, East Africa had acquired a great many colonies in and along the Indian Ocean, while constructing military bases that covered the entire ocean.
However, this also dispersed the Indian Ocean Fleet's deployment. Of the three fleets under its command, especially after the Fourth Fleet shifted its area of responsibility to the East Indian Ocean, the First Fleet took over its former responsibilities. Yet the First Fleet's area of responsibility was simply too vast, making it difficult