The end point is not to make Aikido into a "fighting art" but to offer a practitioner an understanding of the broader field of experience around threatening life circumstance, and include the physical skills necessary to allow them to do the best they can in any situation, staying within an Aikido framework and mindset. This can fully include the spiritual level of Aikido, in terms of experience and outcome, in fact it might be absolutely necessary. It takes a high level of skill to "protect" an attacker in almost any situation.