US President Donald Trump wants to “Make American Shipbuilding Great Again.” And leaders at two South Korean shipyards say that, given the chance, they could do just that, CNN reports.
Officials at both facilities are emphatic that they are ready to share the technology and knowhow needed to construct guided-missile destroyers, frigates and submarines with a US Navy that faces a shipbuilding crisis as it tries to keep up with an ever-growing Chinese fleet.
Top officials have made the size of the problem clear.
“All of our programs are a mess,” US Secretary of the Navy John Phelan told a US House hearing in June.
“I think our best one is six months late and 57% over budget … That is the best one,” Phelan testified.
While Phelan’s comments may come as a shock to some, they’re no big secret.
US shipbuilding programs have been chronically behind schedule and over budget for years.
All the while, one of Washington’s closest Pacific allies is forging ahead.
The full article is here.
