Parity with Italy traps French naval planning

France and Italy entered the treaty system with nominal naval parity but very different geographic commitments. Italy could concentrate its fleet in the Mediterranean, whereas France also had to protect possessions and routes elsewhere in the world. France could not cover both tasks at parity and therefore became dependent on British naval cooperation despite political discomfort with that dependence. French construction of the fast Dunkerque class also answered a Royal Navy shortage of fast capital ships, strengthening the alliance's combined force. A simple tonnage ratio imposed unequal strategic consequences on the two navies.