The US is Considering Building Warships in Two Asian Countries

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – The United States Navy is beginning to consider an unprecedented step: building its warships overseas. This idea has emerged amid a crisis in the US shipbuilding industry, which is increasingly lagging behind China and several other Asian countries.

In its latest ship-building plan, the US Navy openly stated that it would “evaluate foreign options” if the domestic industry is unable to meet production targets for warships and military support vessels on time.

For decades, America has almost always built its own warships domestically. However, Washington now faces a major problem: the number of shipyards continues to decline, production costs are soaring, and labor shortages are worsening.

Since the 1970s, about 14 major defense-related shipyards in the US have closed. In the same period, only one new shipyard has opened. As a result, America’s military shipbuilding production capacity is no longer considered sufficient to support its ambition to expand its naval fleet amid increasing rivalry with China.

The situation is becoming increasingly urgent because the US Navy currently has the fewest number of ships since before World War I. Meanwhile, Washington is pushing for the construction of a new long-term fleet, including the “Golden Armada” plan, which includes modern warships and nuclear-powered vessels, as reported by National Interest.

Japan and South Korea are Prime Candidates

In recent years, Washington’s attention has turned to Asia. Japan and South Korea are considered to have the most ready shipbuilding industries to help meet the needs of the US Navy.

During the Joe Biden administration, then-Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro even visited shipyards in Japan and South Korea to see firsthand the capabilities of the two countries.

Globally, the shipbuilding industry is currently dominated by Asia. China, Japan, and South Korea together account for more than 90 percent of world shipbuilding production. While China has been the world’s largest shipbuilder for the past 14 years, Japan and South Korea are known for their ability to produce high-quality ships with faster completion times and lower costs.

A number of US defense analysts even believe that Japan and South Korea could be a realistic solution to catch up with China in the shipbuilding industry.