Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 4:44:47-4:45:19

Why navies buy the high end before the low end

Some navies buy high-end equipment first because they expect that capability to be harder to obtain during a conflict, while hoping wartime funding will cover the low end.

Defence BudgetFleet ReadinessForce StructureHigh Low MixNaval Procurement
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Question

Why have many navies shifted away from a high-low mix toward one end of the spectrum?

Short answer

Limited budgets encourage buying the high end first and hoping that conflict brings funding for lower-end equipment.

Notes

A navy's budget can prevent it from buying both high- and low-end equipment. Buying the high end first preserves a capability that it would have little chance of acquiring once conflict began. The expectation is that wartime funding could then provide the low-end equipment. This responds to financial and strategic constraints, with the outcome depending on whether that additional funding arrives.