Uncrewed vessels can extend but not replace presence

The French search for a minimum viable warship reflects the need to recover affordable hull numbers. Uncrewed craft can widen a frigate's surveillance area, carry extra systems, and make the combined force more formidable. They cannot independently provide the hospitality, security, conversation, and face-to-face contact that make a port visit politically meaningful. Sending an unattended robotic vessel into a foreign harbor would also create practical security and accident risks. Uncrewed craft therefore serve as assistants to a crewed presence ship rather than substitutes for naval diplomacy.