By South China Morning Post | Created at 2025-03-19 21:31:34 | Updated at 2025-03-20 15:12:33
17 hours ago
Lawmakers in the United States are making a strategic push to revive its shipbuilding industry through the “Save Our Shipyards Act”, signalling a renewed focus on maritime strength amid growing geopolitical competition. This effort reflects increasing concerns over China’s expanding naval capabilities, Russia’s Arctic defence fortification and the importance of securing global trade routes and strategic chokepoints.
China’s naval build-up has turned the Indo-Pacific into a key strategic priority for US planners. According to the US Defence Department, the Chinese navy operates the world’s largest fleet with an overall battle force of about 350 combat vessels, including advanced aircraft carriers, destroyers and submarines. This growing blue-water capability is seen as a significant challenge to US maritime dominance in the Pacific and beyond.
Russia, meanwhile, has strengthened its military presence in the Arctic, reopening Soviet-era bases and deploying new submarines to the glacial region. Moscow’s modernisation of its Northern Fleet reflects its strategy to control Arctic shipping routes and secure its resource claims.
The protection of global trade routes is a stated priority for the US Navy. Critical chokepoints such as the Strait of Hormuz, the Malacca Strait and the Suez Canal are vulnerable to disruption from geopolitical instability. A larger, more capable US fleet would bolster maritime security and protect these vital arteries of global commerce.
Military and security needs have also driven the US to reassess its naval capacity. The US Navy’s current fleet of around 290 ships is considered insufficient to meet the demands of a two-theatre strategy – simultaneously countering China in the Indo-Pacific and Russia in the Arctic and North Atlantic. The Pentagon’s latest shipbuilding plan aims to expand the fleet to over 350 ships by the early 2040s, with a focus on destroyers, attack submarines and unmanned surface vessels.
Revitalising the US shipbuilding industry also serves economic and strategic goals. The Trump administration’s “America first” policy includes measures to bolster domestic shipbuilders, such as imposing significant port fees on Chinese-built vessels. This move aims to reduce reliance on foreign-built ships and stimulate domestic production. However, industry leaders warn that such measures could lead to increased costs for US consumers and potential disruptions in supply chains.
