British naval presence did not require the immediate concentration of the battle fleet. A cruiser could signal interest and open negotiations during a distant crisis. Its presence remained persuasive because it represented a navy able to escalate with much greater force. Worldwide force structure gave this combination of deterrence and coercive diplomacy its credibility.
Notable Point · 17:39-18:13
Cruiser presence backed by scalable force
A cruiser could open a crisis with negotiation because other states understood that Britain could send much heavier force if talks failed.