However, nothing transpired until 1786, when by that point the British were fighting the Thirteen American Colonies, which were backed by France and the Netherlands. Faced with the Dutch dominance of the East Indies (now Indonesia) and a growing French threat, Light, who by then had risen to the rank of Captain, was ordered to acquire Penang Island from Kedah. The British East India Company sought control of Penang Island as a Royal Navy base, and a trading post between China and the Indian subcontinent.