Air defence is shaped by the theatre

The talk warns that a surface ship designed for the Mediterranean, Baltic, or South China Sea cannot treat air and missile defence as an optional extra. Constrained waters expose ships to dense land-based aviation and missile threats with little room to evade. A weak onboard fit therefore demands costly and dependable protection from another service or allied force. The point reinforces the central method: geography changes the balance among weapons, hull form, endurance, and cost.