Carrier availability is compared with ballistic-missile submarines kept on continuous patrol. Sending a deterrent submarine to sea only after a crisis begins publicly signals alarm and can add to escalation, whereas an established patrol is already part of the strategic background. Four hulls support that continuity because maintenance, training, and work-up cycles continue even when one boat is deployed. A carrier programme intended to provide standing presence likewise has to be sized for readiness cycles rather than the possession of a single ship.
Notable Point · 14:46-16:16
Continuous deterrence as a carrier-availability model
The four-ship logic behind continuous nuclear deterrence illustrates why a carrier force intended to provide constant presence also needs depth.