Conflict management begins before a crisis has escalated. The best-timed visit is a ship that never really disappeared from the regional picture. Familiar officers and repeated calls create relationships through which warnings and disagreements can be handled before violence begins. A modest vessel can represent the weight of a wider fleet without introducing more force than the situation requires or making compromise politically harder.
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The best-timed naval visit is continuous presence
Regular, familiar naval presence can spot tension early and keep rivalry from becoming armed conflict.