The planning assumption was that one Queen Elizabeth-class carrier would be active while the other remained in reserve or refit. Recent conflicts and the ships' value for diplomatic signalling instead created pressure to keep both operating. A carrier group communicates political commitment more forcefully than a note or a promise to deploy smaller systems. That demand also exposes the shortage of F-35Bs, because a visible flight deck needs aircraft if the signal is to carry credible military weight.
Notable Point · 1:07:59-1:09:10
Carriers as diplomatic signals
Frequent crises and diplomatic deployments pushed Britain to keep both carriers active more often than the original one-active, one-refitting model expected.