Fleet plans that promise a given availability from six or seven hulls assume enough dry docks, workers, and refit capacity to turn ships around on schedule. Delayed submarine-facility upgrades and the narrow choice of carrier dry docks show how a small infrastructure saving can constrain billions of pounds of ships, weapons, crews, and training. Once old facilities deteriorate, rebuilding them costs far more than preserving and adapting the capacity inherited from earlier fleets.
Notable Point · 2:50:20-2:57:54
Dry docks determine whether an expensive fleet can deploy
Britain's Astute submarines, Type 45 destroyers, Type 23 frigates, and Queen Elizabeth-class carriers show how neglected maintenance infrastructure can strand far more combat value than it costs to sustain.