The Third Fleet's decision to place its headquarters in Fujairah spoke volumes. Fujairah lay on the Arabian Peninsula itself, while Phuket Island, where the Fourth Fleet was stationed, was separated from Indochina by only a narrow strait.
Among East Africa's seven fleets, only the Seventh Fleet had its headquarters on Borneo. But Borneo was not home to East Africa alone; its north was also occupied by British colonies. That was one reason why the Seventh Fleet was preparing to relocate to Billiton Island.
Moreover, the Seventh Fleet fell under the Pacific Fleet's jurisdiction, and the Pacific Fleet's area of command offered many possible locations—something the other two major East African fleets could not match.
Looking at it this way, Qatar, though merely a small peninsula, actually enjoyed a more advantageous position than most of East Africa's naval bases.
"Qatar!" Lomachi said. "That is indeed a good choice. Qatar's port conditions are far better than those of the military ports we currently possess, and it has several excellent harbors. Of course, most importantly, Qatar has natural deep-water ports that the Northern Bay Territory lacks. If we can seize Qatar, we can use it as a foundation to build a large military harbor capable of berthing battleships and other large warships."
The Third Fleet naturally knew the countries within its region like the back of its hand. Lomachi and the other Third Fleet commanders understood Qatar's natural conditions perfectly well.
Plato said, "The only concern is whether sending troops into Qatar will provoke British suspicion and trigger unnecessary diplomatic and military conflicts."
Lomachi dismissed the concern. "Probably not. Although Qatar is a British protectorate, it is in fact an exceedingly poor place. If the British were not maintaining order and stability in Qatar, they probably would not even want to spare it