At thirty, Tōgō had roughly seventeen years of service, including fifteen as a combat veteran and seven spent studying in Britain's naval system. He returned with experience of both battle and the institutions driving contemporary naval technology. The episode then contrasts deniable border activity by small groups with the political meaning of a warship entering combat. A ship's senior officers, organization, and supporting infrastructure make genuinely rogue action unlikely, so its use is difficult for a government to disavow.
Notable Point · 27:48-29:49
Why warship action is difficult to disavow
Tōgō returned as an unusually experienced lieutenant before a digression explains why combat by an organized warship normally signals state-backed escalation.