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Li pointed to Britain’s experience during the Falklands conflict as proof of concept. Within just days of the war breaking out, the British government pulled dozens of civilian ships into service, using them to move aircraft, fuel and other supplies, along with handling medical and support duties. Li argued that this episode demonstrated four key ingredients for success: a large pool of available civilian vessels, detailed plans for mobilizing them, ships built with military needs already in mind, and a system of compensation and incentives to keep everyone on board.