President Donald Trump has ordered one of the biggest restructurings of U.S. naval shipbuilding in decades, directing the Pentagon to create a fifth public Navy shipyard while opening the door to building some American warships overseas.

The national security memorandum signed Thursday is aimed at expanding shipbuilding and repair capacity after years of delays, cost overruns and shortages across the Navy’s industrial base.

The new shipyard would be the first additional public Navy yard in more than 80 years and would focus heavily on submarine and aircraft-carrier maintenance.

That matters because the Navy currently relies on just four public shipyards for much of its nuclear-powered fleet maintenance, creating major bottlenecks whenever projects run behind schedule.

The memorandum also allows foreign shipbuilders that invest in U.S. facilities to build as many as two ships overseas while domestic production capacity is being established.

That marks a significant policy shift.

For decades, major U.S. Navy vessels have overwhelmingly been built domestically. The administration is now signaling that allied shipyards could be used temporarily to speed production while American yards are expanded.

The move could create major opportunities across the U.S. industrial base.

Shipbuilding requires far more than shipyards themselves. Steel producers, engine manufacturers, electronics suppliers, welding companies, machine-tool makers, defense contractors, ports and skilled trades all stand to benefit if the Navy materially increases construction and repair spending.

The administration is also targeting one of the Navy’s most expensive technology debates.

Trump directed the Navy to replace the electromagnetic aircraft-launch system planned for the future USS Doris Miller with traditional steam catapults, arguing that the older system is simpler and more reliable.

Changing the design of an aircraft carrier already in development could itself cost billions of dollars and create additional engineering work, making the decision likely to become one of the most closely watched parts of the overhaul.

The broader issue is capacity.

The United States has spent years struggling to build submarines and surface ships quickly enough to meet Navy targets while also maintaining the fleet already in service.

Now Washington is attempting to solve the problem by expanding domestic yards, bringing in allied shipbuilders and increasing the number of facilities capable of handling the Navy’s most complex vessels.

For American manufacturers, the policy could translate into a long-term wave of defense and infrastructure spending.

The Navy is not simply ordering more ships.

It is trying to rebuild the industrial system needed to build and maintain them.

JBizNews Desk | Washington

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