A secret capability cannot deter an opponent that does not know it exists. This problem applies to the Yamato programme, whose hidden scale could provide wartime surprise without shaping an opponent's earlier calculations in the same way. Secrecy and deterrence therefore serve different strategic purposes. Effective deterrence requires a capability to be credible and sufficiently visible to the intended audience.
Notable Point · 1:23:38-1:24:10
Secret capabilities and deterrence signalling
Yamato's secrecy could preserve surprise, but an unknown capability could not shape an opponent's peacetime choices through deterrence.