Cutting a capability entirely can make later regeneration harder. A reserve Harrier squadron using retained spares and former pilots might have provided aircraft for a carrier when required. Such a unit could also have bridged part of the gap while F-35 capability and renewed carrier aviation matured. The example is counterfactual and leaves open which stopgap aircraft would have been practical.
Notable Point · 27:11-29:33
Harrier as a reserve-capability lesson
The retirement of Harrier is used as a counterfactual: a reserve squadron might have retained a modest carrier-air option while F-35 capability matured.