Insisting that every ship provide the best possible capability can leave a navy choosing between an expensive maximum and no capability at all. More limited ships can fill useful roles when their compromises form part of a deliberate force structure. The proposed starting point is a budget known in advance, with the fleet designed to fit it. If funding changes afterward, reluctance to reconsider the overall plan can push planners into piecemeal cuts to individual ships. Those cuts alter capabilities without resolving whether the resulting fleet still forms a coherent force.
Notable Point · 25:38-26:54
Designing a fleet around a known budget
A known budget allows a navy to choose a coherent mix of capabilities; later cuts to individual ships can undermine that mix.