REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA \u2013 The United States Navy is beginning to\nconsider an unprecedented step: building its warships overseas. This\nidea has emerged amid a crisis in the US shipbuilding industry, which is\nincreasingly lagging behind China and several other Asian countries.<\/p>\n
In its latest ship-building plan, the US Navy openly stated that it\nwould \u201cevaluate foreign options\u201d if the domestic industry is unable to\nmeet production targets for warships and military support vessels on\ntime.<\/p>\n
For decades, America has almost always built its own warships\ndomestically. However, Washington now faces a major problem: the number\nof shipyards continues to decline, production costs are soaring, and\nlabor shortages are worsening.<\/p>\n
Since the 1970s, about 14 major defense-related shipyards in the US\nhave closed. In the same period, only one new shipyard has opened. As a\nresult, America\u2019s military shipbuilding production capacity is no longer\nconsidered sufficient to support its ambition to expand its naval fleet\namid increasing rivalry with China.<\/p>\n
The situation is becoming increasingly urgent because the US Navy\ncurrently has the fewest number of ships since before World War I.\nMeanwhile, Washington is pushing for the construction of a new long-term\nfleet, including the \u201cGolden Armada\u201d plan, which includes modern\nwarships and nuclear-powered vessels, as reported by National\nInterest.<\/p>\n
Japan and South Korea are Prime Candidates<\/p>\n
In recent years, Washington\u2019s attention has turned to Asia. Japan and\nSouth Korea are considered to have the most ready shipbuilding\nindustries to help meet the needs of the US Navy.<\/p>\n
During the Joe Biden administration, then-Secretary of the Navy\nCarlos Del Toro even visited shipyards in Japan and South Korea to see\nfirsthand the capabilities of the two countries.<\/p>\n
Globally, the shipbuilding industry is currently dominated by Asia.\nChina, Japan, and South Korea together account for more than 90 percent\nof world shipbuilding production. While China has been the world\u2019s\nlargest shipbuilder for the past 14 years, Japan and South Korea are\nknown for their ability to produce high-quality ships with faster\ncompletion times and lower costs.<\/p>\n
A number of US defense analysts even believe that Japan and South\nKorea could be a realistic solution to catch up with China in the\nshipbuilding industry.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-us-is-considering-building-warships-in-two-asian-countries-1780644518", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }