Rebuilding the US Navy from 1980 around docks, submarines, and escorts

If you controlled US naval development from 1980 onward, what ships, aircraft, missiles, and infrastructure would you prioritize?

Start with adequate dry docks, preserve separate SSN and SSGN roles, and ensure that a large frigate program fills the escort and anti-submarine warfare gap.

The answer begins with dry docks on both US coasts able to handle every major fleet unit and its full maintenance workload. It would retain a distinct SSGN force so SSNs could remain smaller, quieter, and focused on attack-submarine duties rather than growing through successive missile modules. The panel treats Constellation as essential because cancellation would leave the Navy dependent on expensive Burke-class destroyers or allied anti-submarine escorts. Fleet design here is inseparable from yards, maintenance capacity, specialized hulls, production lines, and allied burden sharing.