The 18-fighter example includes spares and maintenance capacity because sustained operations need depth beyond the aircraft already flying. The same question applies to navies as a whole: do they retain enough trained reserve personnel to crew additional ships? A vessel in prolonged maintenance is not an operational reserve merely because it remains on a list. Reserve capacity is a readiness test, with people, platforms, and preparation required before a crisis begins.
Notable Point · 20:52-21:36
A reserve fleet must be ready to surge
Carrier arithmetic requires aircraft, crews, and ships that can actually surge; vessels parked in long-term maintenance are not an operational reserve.