How should additional British defense spending expand the Royal Navy?
Short answerIncrease orders for current British destroyer and frigate programs, building toward about forty-eight escorts rather than preserving exhausted Type 23s.
NotesLarger orders from designs already in the British pipeline could produce roughly forty-eight escorts across air-defense and frigate roles. Extending Type 23 indefinitely would leave even the youngest hulls operating beyond a design life built around an inexpensive frigate concept. Buying a French design would not automatically accelerate growth because French requirements differ in endurance, supportability, and distant operations. British yards have capacity; the central need is stable orders matched to Royal Navy missions.