More treaty categories create more boundary problems

If the Washington Naval Treaty had classified smaller warships too, where might the tonnage limits have fallen?

Destroyers might have been capped near 2,500 tons, with another band for light cruisers and probably a separate sloop category, but each extra category would create new problems.

The original 10,000-ton threshold kept the treaty system comparatively simple by leaving smaller warships outside its numerical limits. An expanded scheme might cap destroyers around 2,500 tons and place light cruisers somewhere between that figure and 10,000 tons. It would probably also need a distinct sloop category. Every added boundary would invite navies to design toward the edges and argue about classification. Apparently precise arms-control rules can generate complexity instead of removing it.