Why navies did not always use their treaty tonnage

Besides being short of money, why might a country not use all of its naval-treaty tonnage?

Infrastructure, legislative reluctance, and reciprocal restraint could matter as much as the treaty ceiling itself.

Domestic spending choices and infrastructure were the main reasons a navy might leave permitted tonnage unused. The United States Senate resisted funding much of the available American allowance until war approached. France and Italy also restrained capital-ship construction through reciprocal political calculation even while finding room for cruiser and destroyer competition. Britain pressed much closer to the treaty ceiling, showing the difference between legal limits and actual procurement capacity.