Can the US Navy shift toward smaller frigates?

Will the US Navy build more frigate-sized ships instead of destroyers and cruisers?

Possibly, but success depends on Constellation and on technologies such as lasers reducing the need for large defensive missile magazines.

Propulsion, sensors, and basic ship services consume a larger share of a small hull, while a larger combatant gains much more magazine depth. Those fixed requirements make a small ship less economical in payload terms than a simple displacement comparison suggests. Any major move toward small frigates would depend on reliable laser defenses that could free missiles for offensive tasks. Without that change, larger ships retain an endurance advantage in repeated engagements.