The Falklands War supplies an example for an argument about failed deterrence. A rough estimate puts the war's cost at 20 to 30 times that of building CVA-01 with suitable escorts. The comparison comes without a calculation and explicitly excludes lives lost. The broader claim is that defence savings become expensive when they undermine the ability to prevent conflict.
Notable Point · 1:12:15-1:14:09
The Falklands War as an argument about deterrence costs
A rough CVA-01 cost comparison supports the argument that weakened deterrence can produce much larger wartime costs.