Merchant-marine research and resilience

Why might a campaign's merchant-fleet or transport capacity remain weak?

The player may be neglecting trade-protection research, including merchant-cruiser and convoy-system technologies, as well as funding that improves merchant-marine resilience.

The maneuver-warfare research tree includes merchant-cruiser and convoy-system developments that support trade capacity. Public funding can make the merchant marine larger and more resilient, although the benefit eventually plateaus. Transport capacity therefore grows from doctrine, convoy organization, and commercial shipping support rather than a simple count of warships. The ceiling has a historical logic: beyond a point, commercial firms may retain additional support instead of continually adding ships.