Amid intensifying rhetoric with China, the bellicose nation is outproducing the United States in shipbuilding by a wide margin while they threaten nations in the Indo-Pacific. Thirty years ago, that would have been ridiculously unthinkable. But here we are.
Naval experts and officers have sounded the alarm for years. Still, the unthinkable came true in 2023, when a slide during a briefing by the Office of Naval Intelligence reported that China’s shipyards could build around 232 times more tonnage than their US counterparts.
Trump Promises To Rebuild America’s Shipyards
During his address to the Joint Session of Congress, United States President Donald Trump vowed to bring shipbuilding “home to America, where it belongs” while promising tax incentives and a brand-new office in the executive branch to reinvigorate the industry.
“To boost our defense industrial base, we are also going to resurrect the American shipbuilding industry, including commercial shipbuilding and military shipbuilding,” Trump said.
“I’m announcing tonight that we will create a new office of shipbuilding in the White House and offer special tax incentives to bring this industry home to America, where it belongs. We used to make so many ships. We don’t make them anymore very much, but we’re going to make them very fast, very soon. It will have a huge impact.”
Issues Plague Industry
The Navy cut naval architecture and engineering staff from roughly 1,200 to 300 in the move from the Navy designing its own ships to private industry implementing the design. This move has been costly and the reason for so many delays. Many unproven ship systems and subsystems moved to production before being validated.
Labor and construction costs have skyrocketed, and US shipyards cannot compete with foreign yards. Without a steady supply of contracts, they cannot maintain the industrial infrastructure or employ skilled workers.
US shipyards are in poor shape in the maintenance area. Given the current shipyard capacity, the Navy is estimated to be 20 years behind in maintenance work. And this is in peacetime; what will happen if the country goes to war?
US Government Needs New Investment In Shipyards
While the US already incentivizes hundreds of industries with subsidies, having shipyards that can build, maintain, and repair ships efficiently and effectively is a national security imperative.
Last year, several shipbuilding unions sent a letter to President Biden stating that China manufactured more than 1,000 ocean-going ships in 2023 while the US manufactured less than 10. However, Chinese shipyards received $100 billion from its government over an eight-year period. China now controls the worldwide shipbuilding market.
David White, executive director of the Virginia Maritime Association, said the shipyard, owned by Huntington Ingalls Industries, sees this as an opportunity for the US to get back on track.
“Right here in Hampton Roads, we are the home to the to the nation’s largest shipbuilding ship repair industrial base,” White said. “So there is already more of those activities and that expertise that exists here than any place else in the country … I believe firmly that with the investments and with the right efforts from a workforce perspective, that we can expand the capabilities that already exist here to increase our production capabilities.”
Last year, the Navy and the Pentagon adopted outside-the-box approaches to boost shipbuilding into a higher gear. In July, the DoD awarded a contract worth up to $2.4 billion to consulting firm Deloitte to help the nation’s two sub-building shipyards “reach and sustain a programmed production rate of 1+2 submarines per year.”
In December, a bipartisan group of Senators and representatives introduced a bill to boost US shipbuilding. The SHIPS bill would be funded by a new maritime security trust fund, similar to the Highway Trust Fund and Aviation Trust Fund, to set aside money that doesn’t depend on the annual budget appropriations process.
Sal Mercogliano, a former US Military Sealift Command sailor and a current history professor at Campbell University, said this surge of activity will positively impact shipbuilding.
He added that this was the most attention the shipping industry had received in 50 years when then-President Richard Nixon signed the Merchant Marine Act of 1970 so the government could provide loans to commercial shipbuilders and operators to incentivize them to rebuild the U.S. Merchant Marine.
About the Author: Steve Balestrieri
Steve Balestrieri is a 19FortyFive National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing for 19FortyFive, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications.
403NotFound
March 18, 2025 at 12:52 pm
Hmm, the article’s heading here is what many would rate as asinine (something that conjures up a bland view of some creature’s behind).
The US Navy today can easily make mincemeat out of its Chinese adversary. Today.
Right now.
Being able to build a vast number of vessels doesn’t confer naval battle superiority to Beijing.
Not by a long shot.
Worse, the leader xi jinping is a knucklehead, already Missouri has filed a $41 bil covid lawsuit against Beijing. A judge naturally (what else would ya expect from a US judge) gave a lightning fast positive judgement.
At home, xi obediently listens to organs like Reuters and AFP, which say china’s economy is in big trouble, in deep shit, about to collapse and so, xi better start throwing out massive stimulus.
Xi is totally unable to know that not only can his navy very fully quickly become instant canned meat at the hands of sam paparo, his eastern coast can become a vast demolition site as well.
China needs to move away vital industries from its dense eastern coast, far away to the western interior, and FORGET all stupid stimulus suggestions by foreign pundits who’re known to be longtime agents of US deep state. But stupidity is rigid.
As for the navy, it must become an independent force, no more part of the PLA, independent and separate under a Navy minister and possessing its own space force.
And its own spacebombers.
Until then, it’s no match for US Navy. Perhaps, maybe, one day, sam paparo can become the future chinese navy Navy Minister.