Richard Vesey Hamilton defines the two-power standard

Hamilton assessed where the Royal Navy's ships were deployed, whether older unarmoured vessels remained useful, and what force would be needed against the next two naval powers combined. That analysis supported the Naval Defence Act of 1889 and gave shipbuilding a durable public rationale through the two-power standard. Because the rule referred to the next two powers without naming enemies, Britain could justify construction in peacetime through its global commitments. In practice, it meant matching France and Russia together. Hamilton also faced resistance to expenditure from First Lord George Hamilton while trying to replace ships that could no longer meet their overseas duties. His later writing on naval administration preserved arguments for staff and educational reform.