Listening to the US Navy concerns regarding stagnant shipbuilding and what that could mean for success in great power conflicts, President Donald Trump signed an executive order with the goal of revitalizing the American shipbuilding industry. The order specifically reports the need to strengthen a “commercial shipbuilding capacity and maritime workforce,” with the aim to reduce the gap with the current PRC “full-speed” shipbuilding.

Too early to say if the President’s vision is the same as the USN, which would like to see its fleet growing up to 381 battle force ships over the next 30 years, with an investment of at least $40 billion each year over the duration of the effort. According to Matthew Sermon, the Direct Reporting Program Manager for the Navy’s maritime industrial base program, an estimated 250,000 skilled or well-compensated workers must be hired over the next decade to accomplish shipbuilding and vessel maintenance goals, as efforts to expand the supply chain capacity and capabilities.

A significant turning point noting that the USN has failed to increase its fleet over the previous 20 years, despite the generous budget assigned to the purpose. According to Mike Waltz, the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, an action plan is to be presented to the President within 210 days and should include improvements in terms of commercial and defense shipbuilding capabilities, supply chains, port infrastructure, workforce strength and ship repair. At this stage, it is unknown what impact this President’s order is going to have on important projects which involve allies and partners, which the most famous is AUKUS Pillar I and the delivery of VIRGINIA-class submarines to Australia.

While the US shipbuilding aims to deliver one COLUMBIA-class (n.1 USN’s acquisition priority) and 2 VIRGINIA-class submarines per year, according to Rear Adm. Jonathan Rucker, Program Executive Officer for attack submarines, AUKUS commitments increase the annual demand for VIRGINIA-class boats to an unacceptable 2.33. Despite Trump’s “autarky vision” and federal law restrictions, in the last months some US Senators have proposed the option to construct ships or components in shipyards of NATO member countries or Indo-Pacific nations with which the US has mutual defense agreements. This proposal could reduce costs and speed up delivery times, helping to close the gap between current capabilities and strategic needs.

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