Western fleets without the post-Cold War peace dividend

What would NATO militaries look like if the post-Cold War peace dividend never happened?

They would retain larger, better-supported forces, with Britain plausibly operating more destroyers, carriers, and aircraft.

Without the post-Cold War reductions, the counterfactual starts with larger Western armed forces and an effort to retain strength. Suggested British examples include twelve Type 45 destroyers and perhaps three Queen Elizabeth-class carriers. A possible carrier air group pairs eighteen F-35Bs in the strike role with eighteen specially developed naval Gripen fighters for air defence, plus twenty-four Merlins. The proposed Gripen variant is a hypothetical development chosen for its short-takeoff potential, not an aircraft said to have entered Royal Navy service. The mixed air group is offered as one way to spread costs while sustaining more carrier capacity.