Why did few late-Cold-War navies pursue power projection on the US scale?
Short answerMost pursued power projection at a scale relevant to their own regional or occasional missions rather than paying for continuous global presence.
NotesDefining power projection only by the British or American global-policing model is too narrow. A navy can maintain regional reach, assemble a task group for a selected crisis, or support a limited overseas interest without sustaining forces everywhere. Those are real forms of power projection even though they demand fewer ships and bases. Fleet design therefore follows the distance, frequency, and political purpose of the missions a state actually expects.