Indeed, it's just crazy. Especially when we already know the answer.
We know that Naval Group can deliver an FDI frigate for half that price ($930M), with high end AAW and ASW capabilities (Greek contract price). Fincantieri has similar prices. Both can build fast and at scale (~36 months for a frigate from first steel cut to sea trials, 2x per year). Elsewhere in Europe, Navantia & Damen have even lower prices with lower cost workforces in Spain and Romania. Now turn to Asia and the Japanese are very competitive and the Koreans offer the lowest prices of all. All these yards have modular designs with modular build strategies where different hull sections are built in different yards, sometimes across different countries and language barriers. It's all been done before... you don't need a study, just hire any one of these yards and they already know how to deliver.
It wouldn't be hard to pick an off-the-shelf design from one of these big yards, install USN weapons (MK41 VLS, NSM, RAM, 57mm gun) and subcontract hull modules at scale across US and foreign yards. Assemble at both a US yard and a foreign yard. I would wager even COMBATSS-21 or a variant of AEGIS CMS could be installed without too much difficulty, plus various USN sensor & comms systems. But please for the love of god don't touch the platform below the main damage control deck... none of this "we need to meet NAVSEA standards" BS.
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