Force size is a government-wide allocation problem rather than a naval wish list. Specialists in defence, education, health, and other fields all see urgent risks inside their own portfolios, while government must balance them together. Publicly accepted risk therefore limits how much readiness can be purchased even when military planners can identify future shortfalls. Defence also addresses states that are not current enemies precisely because existing capability makes aggression unattractive. A budget assessment that counts only threats already acting can miss the deterrent value of forces that stop other threats from emerging.
Notable Point · 1:49:23-1:53:18
Defence budgets must account for threats capability prevents
Defence competes with education and health spending, but judging it only against visible current threats ignores the aggression that existing capability may deter.