Kammala jumla mai zuwa: A ranar 24 ga Fabrairun 1955, Dowling ya gaji Mataimakin Admiral Sir John Collins a matsayin Babban Jami'in Sojan Ruwa, Kwamitin Sojan Ruwa na Commonwealth na Australiya, kuma Shugaban Ma'aikatan Sojan Ruwa (CNS). An daukaka shi zuwa mataimakin Admiral a ranar 7 ga Yuni, kuma an nada shi a matsayin Abokin Tsarin Bath (CB) a cikin Ranar Haihuwar Sarauniya kwana biyu bayan haka. A ranar 15 ga Yuni, ya shiga tare da sauran shugabannin ma'aikatan Janar Henry Wells da Air Marshal John McCauley, Firayim Minista Robert Menzies, da manyan membobin gwamnati wajen amincewa da wani daftarin umarni don rawar da Far East Strategic Reserve (FESR); wannan ya sanya sojojin Commonwealth don yaƙi da
'yan tawayen kwaminisanci a Malaya, da kuma tsaron Malaya da Singapore daga hare-haren waje. Gudummawar Navy zuwa FESR ya kasance akalla masu hallaka biyu ko frigates a kan ci gaba, da kuma ziyarar shekara-shekara ta hanyar jirgin sama. Masu hallaka da kuma, sun riga sun kasance a cikin yankin a kan wani motsa jiki, an yi aiki nan da nan, kuma Dowling ya tashi zuwa Singapore don sanar da shirin da kuma dalilan da ya sa ga ma'aikatan jirgin.