Q&A · 2:53:12-2:55:04

Exporting capital-ship parts tests treaty wording

A signatory might exploit a gray area by exporting designs and components to a non-signatory builder, but complete supply from one power would be conspicuous and politically difficult.

Question

Could a treaty signatory send plans and parts for a capital ship assembled by a non-signatory?

Short answer

Possibly as a gray-area transaction, especially with distributed suppliers, but a complete package from one signatory would be hard to conceal or defend.

Notes

The treaty reporting rules focused on ships a signatory built, creating ambiguity when another state assembled the hull. Engines and ordinary components could pass through commercial channels with limited attention. Guns, turrets, and armor are much larger and more visible transactions. Spreading purchases among several countries might preserve legal distance, while one signatory supplying the entire capital ship would invite challenge.