the aircraft carrier club 89
of prestige and a sensitivity to international social hierarchy. In particular,
carriers are perceived as prerequisites for major power status.
The carrier is the most notable contemporary example of the symbolic
role of naval power. Despite technological advancements, the navy retains
its position as the most expensive military service. As such, it is an attrac-
tive venue for invidious comparison. This generates pressure to procure
bigger and more conspicuous vessels regardless of their utility or viability.
In extreme cases, like those of the Vasa or Bismarck, such cycles of excess
can lead to catastrophic results. Yet even in more benign cases, societal
opportunity costs are immense. What could have been achieved if funds
invested in the futile Anglo- German naval arms race were invested else-
where? This is a timely question when Chinese procurement decisions run
the risk of igniting a naval arms race with the United States.
Why then would anyone “use an ox cleaver to kill a chicken”? Pre-
cisely because of the excess and waste embedded in such an act. This con-
spicuous extravagance is what makes the aircraft carrier one of the most
effective and enduring symbols of power in contemporary international
affairs. The unrivaled supremacy of the carrier when facing Afghanistan
or Iraq offers a striking demonstration of might. The cost of the carrier
guarantees its exclusivity. Using an ox cleaver to kill an ox demonstrates
little and is therefore a poor signal. It involves no signaling cost. Thus, in a
world of conspicuous consumers, the owner of an ox cleaver may be pur-
posely walking around looking for chickens.
