The claim that a navy can be rebuilt once war begins draws on expansion during the two world wars. Its attribution to the Canadian carrier debate is uncertain. Earlier expansion benefited from time bought by the Royal Navy and the wider British Empire, as well as the industrial capacity to build ships. Those conditions cannot simply be assumed in another war. Maintaining a navy also requires commitments lasting beyond individual governments. Its daily presence and influence on other states are often invisible to the public, making that continuing investment harder to explain.
Notable Point · 39:15-41:42
Rebuilding a navy requires time and industrial capacity
World War I and World War II mobilization depended on allied protection and industrial capacity that a future fleet expansion cannot take for granted.