Using limited fleets to bind Germany and the Soviet Union

The proposed settlement could invite Germany and the Soviet Union into lower tiers rather than leave them outside the system. Soviet construction divided among the Baltic, Black Sea, Northern, and Pacific fleets would struggle to concentrate, but even a Far Eastern force would complicate Japanese planning. The 1939 Soviet-Japanese fighting shows how Far Eastern commitments could shape Soviet choices in Europe. A legal naval programme could also give the Weimar Republic a visible diplomatic success and maritime prestige that extremists might otherwise exploit. France would still retain twice Germany's allocation, while Britain would possess a much larger margin over Italy.