Post-Cold War ships trade narrow efficiency for breadth

Have navies moved from Cold War combat efficiency per ton toward less capable but more practical ships?

Modern ships are more broadly capable and practical, while Cold War designs were highly efficient at a narrow task and could struggle outside it.

Present ships are more broadly capable rather than less capable. Cold War warships could be exceptionally efficient at the specific NATO mission for which they were designed. The Falklands exposed how that specialization created weaknesses when the same ships faced a different geography, threat mix, and campaign structure. Modern general-purpose ships sacrifice some task-specific efficiency to carry a wider set of capabilities that remain usable beyond the plan that produced them.