What frigate America could buy after war starts

If war with China began tomorrow, what frigate should the United States build or buy?

The panel favors expanding existing orders, with an estimated two-to-three-year wait, and expects the opening war to depend on ships already available or under construction.

In the sudden-war scenario, the panel expects a new frigate order to take roughly two to three years to deliver. A newly selected design would therefore contribute little to the opening campaigns. Expanding orders for ships already being built is the proposed response if the war lasts long enough for those hulls to matter. Existing ships and construction already under way determine the force available in the meantime. The distinction is between sustaining a long war and obtaining immediate reinforcements.