How early command can disrupt promotion plans

One cited paper proposes that modern navies can be reluctant to operate small ships because early commands disrupt planned promotion sequences. A junior officer who demonstrates unusual ability can overtake people already being prepared for senior posts. Delaying independent command would protect that sequence, although this remains a hypothesis about institutional motives. A separate explanation emphasizes the peacetime preference for officers who avoid damaging ships. Wartime demands can then favour more aggressive officers, illustrated by the replacement of American submarine captains with their executive officers during the Second World War.