Deterrence without unnecessary provocation

Deterrence does not always require sending a ship more powerful than the local opposition because the deployed vessel represents forces available elsewhere. A deliberately modest hull can show that a government is watching without implying an intention to begin a battle. Michael Clapp's experience in an overflown mine countermeasure ship illustrates how limited armament denied hostile aircraft a credible claim of provocation during a freedom-of-navigation passage. Clapp later commanded the amphibious task group in the 1982 Falklands War, so this lesson came from an officer familiar with higher-end operations. Such restraint depends on stronger forces, up to a Queen Elizabeth-class carrier group, remaining credible and available behind the signal.