The counterfactual removes the war and the subsequent period when navies can point to many newly built ships as a reason to cut spending. This interpretation treats that postwar pause as roughly a frozen decade before construction and design activity recover. Removing combat experience also removes the decisive practical proof of carrier capabilities. Even historically, the change was gradual: Anson, Howe, Vanguard and the Iowas remained after the war. Without both the war and the financial retrenchment that followed it, battleships and carriers would overlap for longer while design work continued.
Notable Point · 47:37-49:11
Avoiding war also removes the postwar frozen decade
Continuous peacetime competition avoids both wartime disruption and the procurement freeze that usually follows a major fleet expansion.