US weighs offshore warship production due to industrial limits
Hanwha acquired Philly Shipyard in a US$100 million deal, expanding its global shipbuilding footprint and bringing naval technologies to the US market. (Photo: Hanwha)
A Pentagon push to procure warships from Japanese and South Korean shipyards could reshape allied naval industrial strategy, but critics warn the approach risks hollowing out the domestic base Washington is seeking to restore.
The US government is actively exploring the procurement of surface combatants from allied shipyards in Japan and South Korea; a move that, if realised, would mark the most significant shift in American naval industrial policy in more than a century and open opportunities for a select group of Indo-Pacific shipbuilders.
Among the companies positioned to benefit are South Korea’s Hanwha Ocean, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HD HHI) and Samsung Heavy Industries, alongside Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) and Japan Marine United (JMU).
MHI and HD HHI were contacted for comment but had not responded at the
Our news & analysis is now part of Defence Insight®
A Basic-level or higher Defence Insight subscription is now required to view this content.
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Ukraine war drives ‘minimum deployable capability’ doctrine in uncrewed systems development]()
Ukraine war drives ‘minimum deployable capability’ doctrine in uncrewed systems development
Ukraine’s battlefield has rewritten the rules of uncrewed systems development. For Syos Aerospace, real-time operator feedback, lean serial production and a system-of-systems philosophy are central to its operating model.
-
![Sealift shortfalls set to drive opportunities across NATO navies]()
Sealift shortfalls set to drive opportunities across NATO navies
A new Council on Geostrategy primer warns that NATO cannot defend its own supply lines. As the alliance faces a sealift and logistics escort deficit, a wave of unawarded procurement is beginning to take shape.
-
![AUKUS advance on UUVs contrasts with Virginia-class compromise]()
AUKUS advance on UUVs contrasts with Virginia-class compromise
The AUKUS partnership is accelerating uncrewed undersea capability while its submarine arm inches forward, and Australia’s decision to settle for three in-service Virginia-class boats raises questions about industrial risk, dependency and whether Pillar II may deliver meaningful capability long before Pillar I can.
-
![Peru partnership may serve as a template for South Korean naval exports into South America]()
Peru partnership may serve as a template for South Korean naval exports into South America
With a growing pipeline of naval modernisation programmes in South America, South Korean companies could be set to expand their presence in the region as recent contract wins highlight growing collaboration.
-
![AUKUS plan B? Japan’s submarines stopgap gains traction]()
AUKUS plan B? Japan’s submarines stopgap gains traction
Australia’s Collins-class life of type extension has revived debate over whether Canberra needs a contingency plan as risks to every stage of the AUKUS pathway mount. With Japan newly open to exports, the case for a diesel-electric stopgap is gaining traction.
