Visible trouble is not the whole procurement picture

The absence of public problems is not proof that a navy's procurement system is healthy. Every navy encounters design, transition, and maintenance difficulties; institutions differ in how visible those failures become and how effectively they can be concealed. Older ships remain expensive because known defects must be managed if the fleet is to keep them operational. A system able to write large support checks can mask that strain for a time. Heavy spending on the outgoing class may be evidence that its intended successor has unresolved problems, rather than proof that life extension is economical.