When President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he had created a new office in the White House to “resurrect” the US commercial and military naval construction, he raised the long -standing calls to fix the industry in problems he said is vital for national security. His clear call to build more ships “very fast and very soon” It arrives at a time of growing strategic competition with China.
“Our naval construction industry has minimized at this time,” said Marines’ Commander Eric Smith, to VOA in an exclusive interview in the Pentagon at the end of last year.
The anemic state of naval construction and the maintenance of US ships, and the risks they raise for the armed forces, was shared with the VOA through more than a dozen interviews with military officials and the US industry. which covered several months and were carried out before Trump’s announcement.
How is the US fleet?
The United States Navy is still considered the most powerful in the world in regards to fire and tonnage power, but the number of American ships has remained behind China’s. The United States has 296 ships in its fleet, while China is on their way to exceed 400 this year.
Despite the target of the US Navy. The number of ships has been reduced. Last year’s budget financed only six new ships of the Navy, while dismantling 15 of the fleet, which represents a net loss of nine. The budget plan of fiscal year 2025 finances six new ships and dismantles 19, which represents a net loss of 13.
The livelihood of the maritime industry as Bae, based in Britain, Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) based in the United States and Fairbanks Morse Defense, flows almost exclusively through the US army. Industry leaders say they have the space to build and repair more ships, but that the marine contracts have been scarce.
The interim vice head of naval operations, Admiral Jim Kilby, although he advocates a larger fleet, He says he has not had the budget to replace all his old ships and submarines, And much less to increase strength.
“When we get a new ship, we will replace an old ship, because That old ship is more expensive and more difficult to maintain “, He said in a recent interview.
In the city of Norfolk, on the east coast of the United States, the number of navy ships available For repair work, 44 was reduced from a decade to less than 30 today. About 60 % of the workforce was suspended at that time, officials said.
There are also a shortage of necessary qualified workers to keep the naval construction industry afloat.
What would happen in an eventual confrontation?
“We went from 10,000 ships during World War II to 85 today. Therefore, in case of an emergency, in case of a conflict with an almost equal adversary, We are quite limited to get all those supplies, Equipment and troops through the ocean, “Senator Mark Kelly, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said.
The United States builds about five commercial ships every year. China builds more than a thousand.
“They have a shipyard, just a shipyard, which is bigger than all our shipyards together “, The senator said
In December, Kelly presented bipartisan legislation called Ships for America Act. The bill aims to Increase the American commercial fleet in 250 ships in 10 years, which will also increase the military ship supply chain.
