Would a revived General Board improve US ship design?

Should the US Navy revive some version of the General Board to advise on ship procurement?

Yes. A continuing committee of experienced retired captains and designers could help, but the Navy also needs production lines it can improve from batch to batch.

The proposed standing committee would combine experienced retired captains with designers to develop future specifications. Its value would be continuing professional judgment across individual programmes. The proposal also includes an ongoing production line that can incorporate improvements in successive batches. A speculative sequence for the Legend-derived frigate starts with ten ships followed by larger, better-armed batches as confidence develops. That growth is a prediction tied to doubt about whether enough large combatants will arrive to protect the smaller escorts.