ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the machinery of naval procurement, and then assesses the Navy's first attempt at producing a new naval programme, its failure, the operational concepts created to justify new forces, followed by analysing each of the major procurement areas in turn: the carrier replacement weapons, the Sea Dart destroyer and the new frigate. As with almost every other aspect of the new Ministry of Defence, there were two levels to policy and decision-making: the Navy Department level, and the central Ministry level. Towards the end of October appending the Concept of Naval Operations and Shape of the Future Fleet paper modified in the light of comments from the Admiralty Board and the central staffs, sent a letter reminding Healey of the approval needed for the planned classes. The naval staff reasoned that the two ASW carriers would be primarily deployed off the eastern seaboard of the United States to counter Soviet ballistic-missile carrying submarines.
