The effect of the Caspian project would not stop at its small training deck. Japan would have to account for prospective Soviet naval air power in the Pacific when setting funding and force structure. France might accelerate replacement of Bearn or build additional carriers in response to visible German interest. Italian choices could then follow French movement, turning a limited experiment into an international signal with consequences for several fleets.
Notable Point · 33:07-34:40
Foreign navies react to an interwar carrier program
Even an experimental carrier could alter French, Japanese, and Italian assumptions about naval-aviation funding and force structure.