Lawmakers Propose $25 Billion for Massive U.S. Navy Shipbuilding Rev Up

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By Kris Osborn – Warrior Maven

(Washington D.C.) It is a well known paradox … prepare for massive maritime warfare with heavily armed surface ships, long-range weapons and layered defenses .. to keep the peace. Thus, the conceptual basis for deterrence, a strategic approach grounded in the idea of strengthening military power for the ultimate purpose of preventing conflict on the open ocean. 

With this in mind, the Navy is taking new strides in its ongoing, multi-year ambition to build a larger, stronger, more heavily armed and distributed surface fleet, in part by potentially migrating some of its shipbuilding initiatives away from large surface vessels .. and more toward a smaller agile fleet. Concurrently, the service is also moving at an ambitious pace to add greater numbers of larger-platform warships to include amphibs, destroyers and Frigates, among others. With projections of a desired fleet upwards of 400-500 ships, the Navy is pursuing efforts to transition to more steel building materials and substantially rev up shipyard production capacity throughout the industrial base. 

Now, a bipartisan group of lawmakers on the hill are seeking the same thing through a new legislative proposal to add billions in new funding for U.S. shipyards.  Representatives Rob Wittman (R-VA-01) and Mike Gallagher (R-WI-08), along with Senators Roger Wicker (R-MS), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Angus King (I-ME) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) introduced the Supplying Help to Infrastructure in Ports, Yards, and America’s Repair Docks (SHIPYARD) Act of 2021, which would provide $25 billion to make investments needed to optimize, improve, and rebuild shipyard facilities, electrical infrastructure, environmental systems, and the equipment of public and private shipyards in the U.S. that support the U.S. Navy fleet. 

Austal USA just announced its investing more than $100M to add steel shipbuilding capability to its facility in Alabama to adjust to the changing demand.

“Our intent is to build what the Navy needs. We’re taking our proven processes that have led to consistent on-time on-budget delivery and building them into a new steel line,” Larry Ryder, Austal USA’s vice president of business development and external affairs told The National Interest in an interview. “In April 2022, we’ll be cutting steel with the goal to support the Coast Guard’s and Navy’s call for steel ships.”

The urgency of improving the combat readiness and capability of manned surface ships, particularly in light of the increasing capacity with which they will operate unmanned systems such as surface, undersea and aerial drones, is not lost on members of Congress now deliberating fleet size and configuration questions with a specific mind to concerns about the Chinese Navy. Building more new ships out of steel appears to be an integral part of this effort.