WASHINGTON – Recent assessments from lawmakers and experts highlight that the U.S. is significantly behind China when it comes to shipbuilding capabilities. This concern arises as the Biden administration seeks to bolster the nation’s capacity to create and manufacture defense materials in preparation for potential conflicts.
During a congressional session on Thursday, Rep. John Moolenaar, the Republican chair of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, stated that the U.S. currently falls short of the necessary resources to effectively “deter and win a fight” against China, urging immediate action. He emphasized, “Bold policy changes and substantial resources are essential to restore deterrence and avert conflict” with China.
China currently possesses the largest navy globally, with a shipbuilding capability that is reportedly 230 times greater than that of the U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democratic member of the committee, further illustrated this disparity by noting, “For every oceangoing vessel we are able to produce, China can construct 359 within a single year.”
U.S. officials have identified China as the primary strategic competitor, noting that Beijing is undertaking an unprecedented peacetime military expansion, raising concerns about the U.S. response in potential conflicts, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region where tensions are escalating in areas like the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea.
Krishnamoorthi asserted that a fragile military industrial base could provoke hostility, stressing the need for reinforcements to mitigate the potential for conflict with China. “History demonstrates that we require a robust defense industrial base to dissuade aggressors and ensure that global tyrants reconsider before plunging the U.S. and the world into further turmoil,” he remarked.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan described addressing this issue as a “generational project,” lamenting the decline of American shipbuilding that began in the early 1980s. He noted, “We lack the foundation of a vigorous commercial shipbuilding sector, which has left our naval shipbuilding precarious, making this correction a long-term endeavor.”
He mentioned that the shipbuilding dilemma has been daunting, resulting from the reduction of the U.S. manufacturing workforce and the withdrawal of numerous suppliers. Sullivan pointed out that the challenges facing shipbuilding are symptomatic of a broader issue regarding a diminished U.S. military industrial base. He reflected on the response to the conflict in Ukraine, where the rapid consumption of artillery by Kyiv exceeded a year’s worth of U.S. production within merely eight weeks.
“Decades of insufficient investment and industry consolidation have severely weakened our defense capabilities, leaving us with limited options,” Sullivan explained. Furthermore, Adm. Samuel Paparo, head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, warned last month that ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East are depleting crucial U.S. weapon stockpiles, potentially compromising the military’s readiness against China in the event of a confrontation.
Paparo pointed out that substantial arms support for both Ukraine and Israel has strained U.S. resources, saying, “It is indeed affecting our stock levels, and to claim otherwise would be misleading.”
Experts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington have suggested that China’s rapid military developments may place it at an advantage over the U.S., particularly in protracted military engagements. They noted, “China’s extensive shipbuilding capacity could grant it a distinct edge in lengthy conflicts, enabling it to repair damaged vessels or produce replacements more rapidly than the United States.”
During the congressional discussion, experts presented ideas for rebuilding the defense industrial base, indicating that while time is required for substantial improvements, the U.S. could pursue innovative solutions for quicker results, including the development of low-cost autonomous systems and leveraging the resources of allied nations. William Greenwalt, a non-resident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, highlighted, “We should explore co-production options, whether in munitions with Australia or shipbuilding initiatives with Korea,” asserting, “We need to scale up our production as swiftly as possible.”
