The Singapore strategy was a strategy about defending the British Empire in the Asian Far East, mainly against the Empire of Japan. The strategy involved a number of different plans and stages, developed between 1919 and 1941. The basic idea was to base a fleet of ships in the Far East. This fleet could then be used to stop and defeat a Japanese force heading towards India or Australia. In 1919, Singapore was chosen because of its strategic location at the end of the Strait of Malacca.