I agree with Esna, it does seem like amarrian storyline is walking on that path between modernizing and tradition. The news item that started it walks that too, as it is a discussion on how should education be, and the voice of a Heir raised to try and get the Empress to do something. It's an interesting and important storyline to tell, and different to that of the Caldari falling into civil war, or the Republic reorganizing their government, so I believe it should go before another plot of changes in empire government.
As for the Holder's fleets, remember not only the Heirs have fleets. Back many years, I participated in the story arc between House Miyan and House Darabi, and both of them had their navies. Surely they were smaller than the Imperial Navy, but probably the sum of the navies of the Holders and the Heirs would be bigger than the Imperial Navy (before Kador lost his, at least) specially now in case the Khanid navy has joined them in being a "Heir fleet" after the King entered the amarrian government (not sure if it did). In my mind, I kinda see this as Legend of the Five Rings goes: different houses have very big and powerful armies, the Empress has his own but its way smaller than the ones of the Clans together (even counting that large parts of the House fleets would have temporarily been transferred to Imperial control), but the Empress has the moral authority and the will to eccert influence or even take control of those forces from time to time.