A Dutch purchase of 13.5-inch battlecruisers raises an objection about how Australia would view the comparison with HMAS Australia. The response points to replacing Australia's capital ship with two cheaper modern cruisers. Manning and running costs matter because a small navy may spend heavily to maintain just one capital ship. That ship provides local deterrence, while several cruisers can operate in different places at the same time. The comparison explains why capital-ship ownership and useful overseas coverage can pull a small navy's budget in different directions.
Notable Point · 2:46:52-2:48:10
One Australian capital ship or several cruisers?
The Australian comparison weighs the local deterrence of a single capital ship against the lower cost and wider coverage available from several cruisers.