Prestige and national ego do not supply a military mission. Carrier spending competes with hospitals, schools, policing, transport, ports, and other public needs, so the strategic case must be explicit. A government should start by asking what the carrier must do and whether another capability could meet the same requirement. Only after that test should displacement, aircraft, propulsion, and weapons enter the discussion.
Chapter · 5:08-6:10
Test the strategic case before buying a carrier
The first design question is whether a carrier answers a real security need strongly enough to justify its opportunity cost.