Small navies often cannot support large numbers of ships, so they ask each hull to cover a wider range of missions at a very high capability level. Limited personnel, dockyard capacity, and support infrastructure make that choice understandable rather than simply extravagant. A globally deployed navy faces the additional cost of sustaining advanced equipment far from home, and each attempt to preserve an all-purpose fleet can reduce the number of ships bought. The passage frames the '100 percent' warship as a structural response to scarcity that can also deepen the scarcity.
Chapter · 18:26-19:01
Why small navies pursue the '100 percent' warship
Limited personnel and support infrastructure can force a small navy to demand more capability from every hull, even as the resulting cost shrinks the fleet.