The historic admiral's yacht has a modern analogue in the helicopter reserved for a task-group commander. Cutting that apparently auxiliary aircraft does not eliminate the need to move senior officers between ships; it transfers the job to a frontline anti-submarine helicopter. During the Falklands War, Michael Clapp, Sandy Woodward, and other commanders lacked the dedicated helicopter their formations were supposed to provide. Their necessary visits and meetings then disrupted scarce aviation tasks elsewhere in the force. Modern data links reduce some travel but do not remove the value of face-to-face command coordination.
Notable Point · 59:29-1:01:16
Flag mobility is an operational capability
Removing a dedicated admiral's helicopter can consume scarce anti-submarine aircraft and disrupt the face-to-face command work a task force still requires.