A navy unable to maintain continuous deployments can compensate partly by making each visit unusually conspicuous. This is impact presence or impact visibility: the ship should look important enough to dominate attention while it is in the area. Modern River-class patrol ships painted in historic disruptive camouflage illustrate the mechanism. The colors no longer serve only their original long-range visual-deception purpose; they also attract photographs and media coverage in ports dominated by similar gray hulls. That information effect extends the political life of the visit and reminds local planners to include the visiting state in their calculations.
Notable Point · 1:12:48-1:15:25
Impact visibility magnifies intermittent presence
Distinctive ships and paint schemes generate photographs and public attention that keep a smaller navy visible beyond the duration of a port visit.