France answers with fast hunting groups

Italy has less room to alter its already balanced Mediterranean program, but France can make itself more valuable to Britain. The Dunkerques fit the Royal Navy's interwar concept of carrier-and-fast-capital-ship groups hunting commerce raiders. Béarn is too slow for that role, so an accelerated Joffre paired with Dunkerques and contre-torpilleurs becomes the more useful response. French construction therefore strengthens coalition interoperability rather than simply matching German ships one for one.