A cost comparison needs to include the bases, maintenance, and facilities surrounding each force. Ships carry accommodation and food storage aboard, perform routine maintenance themselves, and still require dry docks. Aircraft and tank units have different supporting requirements ashore. An unnamed interwar calculation equates roughly 34 medium bombers with one battleship, but equal cost does not make the forces interchangeable. Medium bombers can reach inland targets, whereas battleships provide coastal gunfire and fight other battleships. Their value depends on the task as well as the resources needed to support them.
Chapter · 1:45:54-1:47:46
Comparing military costs requires the supporting system
Basing and maintenance costs complicate comparisons between forces designed for different tasks.