What a continuous Cold War shipbuilding program could preserve

What would an ideal US Navy and Royal Navy construction program from the 1970s onward look like?

Maintain continuous carrier and escort production, keep cruiser-level surface combatants, preserve naval aviation, and complete planned class runs instead of repeatedly interrupting them.

The alternative American program proposed here pairs continuing carrier construction with nuclear cruisers and conventionally powered general-purpose destroyers. The British proposals retain full carrier capability, its aviation skills, and cruiser-like surface combatants. One suggestion is to organize the Royal Navy around two carriers with two missile cruisers per carrier. The discussion also stresses completing intended escort production runs, giving 24 Type 23s and 12 Type 45s as examples. These are counterfactual preferences for preserving fleet capacity and institutional knowledge, rather than a description of the programs actually delivered.