Treaties constrain future ships according to what governments and designers believe is suitable when the agreement is written. A design that appears well balanced in the 1920s may no longer fit naval requirements in the 1930s or 1940s. Arms limitation can therefore restrain rivals while also creating a long-lived constraint on one's own force, even when every signatory complies. The carrier example supports the broader point that negotiated limits preserve contemporary assumptions while technology and operational needs continue to change.
Notable Point · 15:37-16:07
How treaty limits freeze today's design assumptions
The conclusion warns that ship limits negotiated for present requirements can become liabilities as technology and operational needs change.