The staff of this new division will be formed in part by reductions from the Mobilisation and Operations Divisions (some of which latter’s work is taken over); and in part by an addition to the Estimates for which Treasury sanction will be required. As a set-off against this there is the economy of reducing an Admiral by bringing the War College to Greenwich.
Nine or ten officers (some of whom can be retired officers) should suffice with the necessary clerks and writers.
Let me have proposals on these lines with estimates.
4. The Operations Division will have been to some extent relieved by the formation of the War Training Division. It must, however, be augmented by the addition of a new section (the Manning Department) dealing with War Mobilisation, which will be explained later; and, secondly, by the new Trade Defence Section. This latter is clearly only a part of the Operations sphere. It is grouped with Operations because the defence of trade is essentially an offensive operation against the enemy’s armed ships.
The Operations Division will, therefore, be organised in four sections—(a), (b), (c), and (d)—as follows:—
(a) War Plans.
Distribution of the Fleet.
Schemes of attack of all kinds.
Joint naval and military action.
C.I.D. work.