Shipyard workforce is the slowest capacity to rebuild

The technical case for a new ship runs into decades of contraction in Western shipbuilding, beginning before the Cold War ended. Commercial consolidation may serve shareholder incentives without preserving the capacity a state needs in an emergency. Governments can sustain yards through policy, as the French example suggests, or support broader industrial capacity as Japan does. Once a yard closes, both infrastructure and experienced workers disappear. Facilities take years to rebuild, while recreating a skilled workforce can take decades, so wartime retrofit plans cannot assume either will be available.