Shipbuilding as economic support and strategic resilience

A less restrictive treaty would keep money, technical experience, and productive infrastructure moving through national economies. That continuity could soften economic shocks and widen the industrial gap that later fascist rearmament would have to overcome. Continued building would also give treaty powers more confidence that they could meet their own requirements, while common limits prevent any one fleet from becoming overwhelmingly strong. Because cruisers are limited by size and gun caliber rather than total numbers, sustained cruiser orders could partly compensate for reduced battleship and carrier work when governments provide the funding.