How can I tell if racial bonuses are really working?

[Silent Sorrow]

Update: I just looked at the abilities tab for a ship, while NOT in combat, and I see that the racial bonus is indeed listed. I don't know if I simply never looked while outside of combat or what, but the bonus does seem to show.

However, why doesn't it show in the tab while I'm IN combat?

Second, when I'm designing a ship and I'm adding in all the components such as ECM, the defence bonus shows for the added component. Should it not start from a base of whatever racial bonus you have? Or was this simply how the game was designed?