The central procurement argument is cooperation without a single combined fleet. Nations can share research, a framework design, and selected systems, then alter the result for their own strategic needs and budgets. Britain, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand differ too much in population, geography, and commitments to buy equal numbers or identical versions. Commonality is valuable where it reduces development and support costs, while national variation is valuable where it prevents a compromise design from fitting nobody well.
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Common designs, national fleet mixes
Common research and design work can lower costs without requiring Britain, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand to buy identical ships or fleet numbers.