The Federation is already distributed by its very nature, indeed inconveniently so. It may be absolutely crucial to concentrate certain functions, such as forcing all officer-hopefuls to share a dormitory, salute the same physical flag and confide in Boothby so that a loyal and unified Starfleet can be maintained.
As for defenses, citadel thinking may be better than distribution. After all, the enemy can always choose where to strike. If the Feds and the Klingons have the same fighting strength, and the Feds use it to defend multiple capitals, the Klingons have already won: they can triumph over every defense by applying 100% (okay, 95%) of their forces. Keeping every important office and personage under one and the same shield dome, and pouring all resources to maintaining that dome, is the only feasible way to defend. The alternative is to attack, and attack first, but that works poorly in peacetime, the termination of which is a choice in the hands of the enemy...
Just as possibly, the Gulf Stream died a long ago, and New Atlantis is a partial remedy to that problem...
Timo Saloniemi
As for defenses, citadel thinking may be better than distribution. After all, the enemy can always choose where to strike. If the Feds and the Klingons have the same fighting strength, and the Feds use it to defend multiple capitals, the Klingons have already won: they can triumph over every defense by applying 100% (okay, 95%) of their forces. Keeping every important office and personage under one and the same shield dome, and pouring all resources to maintaining that dome, is the only feasible way to defend. The alternative is to attack, and attack first, but that works poorly in peacetime, the termination of which is a choice in the hands of the enemy...
I like how the whole New Atlantis nonsense completely ignores the importance of the Gulf Stream. Northern Europe in the 24th century must be frozen...
Just as possibly, the Gulf Stream died a long ago, and New Atlantis is a partial remedy to that problem...
Timo Saloniemi