The thousand-ship-navy concept tried to aggregate allied fleets, but allies differ in capability, readiness, domestic politics, and national missions. Britain’s Queen Elizabeth-class deployments offer a stronger example because their F-35Bs, escorts, and periodic Indo-Pacific cruises can be coordinated with American maintenance cycles. Exercises such as RIMPAC build the command relationships needed to fold allied units into a larger formation. Even so, the Nimitz class remains the command-and-control center and aviation umbrella around which the coalition is expected to organize.
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The limits of an allied thousand-ship navy
Allied fleets can reinforce American plans, but national priorities prevent their ships from becoming a permanently available substitute for US force structure.