The video closes by turning the procurement history into a counterfactual exercise. It asks viewers to imagine construction beginning in 2008 with two ships ordered in successive years until a force of 24 existed by 2024. The question is how other states would have reacted to that visible concentration of advanced American surface combatants. This tests the argument that fleet size and appearance can shape deterrence before weapons are fired.
Notable Point · 47:25-48:40
How a 24-ship Zumwalt fleet might have changed deterrence
The closing question asks how other states might have reacted if the United States had sustained production and fielded 24 Zumwalt-class destroyers by 2024.