How new treaty cruiser categories might reshape fleets

How would fleets respond to a treaty that divided cruisers into several tonnage and gun-calibre categories?

Navies would exploit the boundaries, producing specialized cruiser tiers and likely escalating toward prestige-heavy large-gun designs.

The panel works through tonnage and gun-calibre bands that could produce distinct reconnaissance, light, and heavy cruiser types. A 7,000-ton scout category might displace destroyer leaders, while larger allowances could create 10,000-ton light cruisers and 14,000-ton heavy cruisers. Navies would test the definitions through borderline gun calibres, overbuilt barbettes, and ships prepared for rapid rearmament after the treaty system collapsed. The exchange also explains why prestige-driven funding could favor oversized 9.2- or 10-inch cruisers while routine fleet assets remained neglected.