The naval-law dispute hardened into a choice between total investment and virtually no investment. That polarization obscured a practical middle ground: more aircraft, submarines, destroyers, and mine-warfare capacity without an unaffordable fleet. Even a limited increase could have made a Japanese campaign in the East Indies more difficult. The additional minelaying capability would matter only if commanders actually laid the mines. An imperfect compromise could therefore offer more deterrent value than an all-or-nothing contest.
Notable Point · 28:41-29:39
How an all-or-nothing dispute blocked naval compromise
Dutch defence politics polarized the choice between a complete program and almost no investment, crowding out a smaller but still useful compromise force.