Why could Invincible's air group grow after the Cold War?

Why did Invincible's embarked air group become larger after the Cold War?

The proposed explanation is that using an available carrier could be cheaper than maintaining aircraft at an overseas base.

A follow-up challenges the explanation by asking why larger groups appeared after the Cold War. Clarke replies that operating aircraft from an available carrier could cost less than maintaining an overseas base for them. The exchange tests a peacetime economy argument against later deployments rather than establishing a universal relationship between budget cuts and air-group size.