The scenario uses a continuation of the 1938 Naval Act as a peacetime model, rather than assuming the historical 1940 expansion occurs unchanged. It considers possible political pressure for an 18-inch answer to Yamato, alongside naval preferences for other armament choices. A small continuation of Yorktown-style carriers, possibly with more protection, is judged likelier than an early mass programme of Essex-class ships. More carriers would also need modern escorts. Older four-stack destroyers could not fill every frontline role, while a postponed Fletcher-scale expansion would leave fewer suitable ships available at the outbreak.
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The US Navy without an early Two-Ocean Navy Act
A delayed European war could postpone the large American carrier and destroyer expansion associated with the 1940 Act.