US Navy warship production hits 25-year low, falls behind China: ‘A terrible state’

Originally Published by: Chinese shipbuilding capacity over 200 times greater than US, Navy intelligence says CCP-tied EV company backed by Dems buys up Michigan land miles from US bases US, Australia, Japan, Germany show force during military exercise amid China fears Navy shipbuilding has had its worst production in 25 years, putting the US behind rival

Navy shipbuilding has had its worst production in 25 years, putting the US behind rival China in production pace.

“I don’t see a fast, easy way to get out of this problem. It’s taken us a long time to get into it,” Eric Labs, a longtime naval analyst at the Congressional Budget Office,  told ABC News, adding that the Navy’s shipbuilding was now in “a terrible state.”

The comments come as last-minute design changes, cost overruns, and an inability to recruit and retain employees to build ships has slowed production at the same time the US faces expanding global threats at sea.

The ABC News report cites a Marinette Marine contract as just one of the many examples of the struggles of the Navy to meet production.

According to the report, the shipmaker is under contract to build six guided-missile frigates with an option to build four more, but with its current workforce can only produce one ship per year.

Issues such as the one faced by Marinette Marine have been widespread throughout the country, with shipyards turning to creative solutions such as offering training academies or partnering with technical colleges to get more workers the skills they need to build the Navy’s high-tech vessels.

Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro has touted such programs, the report notes, even speaking during the commencement for recent graduates at a community college that partnered with Portsmouth Naval Shipyard to teach students to repair nuclear submarines.

Navy ship production is at its worst level in 25 years, according to a new report.
Navy ship production is at its worst level in 25 years, according to a new report. US NAVY/AFP via Getty Images

“It is incumbent upon all of us to consider how we can best lend our talents and, in the case of the graduates, their newly developed skills, to build up our great nation for all Americans, and defend against the threats and challenges of today,” he said at the ceremony.

Part of the $100 million in Navy funding provided to Marinette Marine is being used for retention bonuses, underscoring the importance of retaining a shipbuilding workforce.

The report also notes that much of the blame is with the Navy itself, which frequently changes the design requirements of ships after companies have begun construction.

Yet despite vows to learn from those mistakes, the Navy redesigned 85% of the ships being built by Marinette Marine, resulting in cost increases and delays.

A Chinese destroyer Nanchang docked in St. Petersburg on July 23, 2024.
A Chinese destroyer Nanchang docked in St. Petersburg on July 23, 2024. ZUMAPRESS.com

The report comes after a US Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) slide leaked online showed last year that the rapidly expanding Chinese Navy has the capacity to produce ships at 200 times the rate of the United States.

“The Chinese see this decade as a strategic opportunity,” Brent Sadler, senior research fellow for naval warfare and advanced technology in the Center for National Defense at the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital at the time. “I don’t see any near-term bending of the curve where we actually start closing the gap with the Chinese.”

But the Navy said it is taking the problem seriously, with a spokesperson for Del Toro telling ABC News that the service is looking for more “creative solutions” to the problem.

“The Navy’s role in defending our nation and promoting peace has never been more expansive or mattered more,” said Lt. Kyle Hanton. “We continue to work with our industry partners to identify creative solutions to solving our common challenges.”

The Navy did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

Total
0
Shares
Leave a Reply
Related Posts
Sloth Fever: What To Know About Potentially Dangerous Oropouche Virus After First Deaths
Read More

Sloth Fever: What To Know About Potentially Dangerous Oropouche Virus After First Deaths

Forbes Business Breaking Sloth Fever: What To Know About Potentially Dangerous Oropouche Virus After First Deaths Robert Hart Forbes Staff Robert Hart is a London-based Forbes senior reporter. Following Aug 19, 2024, 10:20am EDT Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline An outbreak of Oropouche virus, a little known and potentially dangerous
Ukraine Claims Successful Strike on Oil Depot in Russian Mainland
Read More

Ukraine Claims Successful Strike on Oil Depot in Russian Mainland

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – Ukraine on Sunday said it struck an oil depot in southern Russia that supplies the Kremlin’s troops as Russian strikes in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, where Moscow claimed further gains, left five civilians dead and 15 others wounded. Ukraine’s General Staff said in a statement Kyiv’s security services were responsible for
Trump Blasts FBI Director Christopher Wray over ‘Shrapnel’ Remark: It Was a ‘Bullet Wound to the Ear’
Read More

Trump Blasts FBI Director Christopher Wray over ‘Shrapnel’ Remark: It Was a ‘Bullet Wound to the Ear’

Former President Donald Trump blasted FBI Director Christopher Wray after he told lawmakers this week there was “some question” on whether Trump was hit with “a bullet or shrapnel” on July 13, setting the record straight. The establishment media went wild after Wray told lawmakers, “With respect to former President Trump, there’s some question about
Iran keeps region guessing as it mulls revenge attack
Read More

Iran keeps region guessing as it mulls revenge attack

Iran keeps region guessing as it mulls revenge attack EPA Iran's supreme leader has reportedly ordered a direct attack on Israel In the Saudi city of Jeddah on Wednesday, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), a group of 57 countries, held an emergency meeting at Iran’s request to discuss, among other things, the assassination of