Why Britain appeared ahead in current frigate procurement

Was the United Kingdom ahead of the United States in procuring modern frigates?

It had started building sooner, chiefly because yard survival forced a decision, while American program churn left a slower industrial restart.

The panel rejects the idea that British procurement is inherently better managed than American procurement. Britain kept its frigate program moving because delaying again risked closing yards or forcing another interim build like the Batch 2 River-class ships. The United States moved from the littoral combat ship toward the Constellation class after years of disruption. Once American production is established it can accelerate, but rebuilding the industrial capacity damaged by repeated policy changes takes time.