American authorities likely would have found money and technical solutions if the danger had appeared probable. The limiting factor in a peacetime coastal-defence programme was political willingness rather than naval design alone. Governments tend to fund defence when a threat is visible to decision-makers and the public. A theoretical danger was insufficient to sustain the proposed monitor modernization.
Notable Point · 6:31-6:53
Visible threats unlock peacetime defence investment
An American monitor programme needed a visible danger, rather than a technically plausible coastal threat alone, to sustain political support.