American stop-and-pause construction reflects the strategic logic behind its limited interest in battlecruisers. Before World War I, the United States expects an expeditionary navy to arrive, win a battle, dominate the area, and organize the peace. That concept gives little role to a specialized fast capital ship. As the country begins to act more deliberately as a world power after the war, commerce and economic warfare matter more. Battlecruisers become relevant because those campaigns operate across distance and require time, unlike the short decisive battle imagined by the earlier strategy.
Notable Point · 16:42-17:47
Why American battlecruiser logic changed after World War I
The United States initially favors short expeditionary fleet battles, then finds more reason for battlecruisers as global power and prolonged economic warfare become priorities.