Peacetime surveillance, diplomacy, maritime security, and deterrence demand restraint while crews must retain the ability to engage an enemy in war. Watching a potential opponent also involves learning its capabilities without revealing too much of one's own. These duties can displace attention from combat training during long intervals between major wars. The interwar problem is compared with the long period since the Falklands War. Destroyers face an additional difficulty: their compact designs have less room for upgrades than larger warships, so their fighting capability ages more quickly.
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Why destroyer fighting edge fades in peacetime
Interwar destroyer crews had to preserve combat skills while peacetime duties demanded restraint and small hulls limited future upgrades.