U.S. Senator Mike Lee has emphasized that to meet the U.S. Navy’s demand for warships, the country should outsource construction to its allies, highlighting South Korea as the most important partner in this initiative.
According to Voice of America (VOA) on Monday, when asked whether his recent legislative proposal to allow U.S. warship construction in allied nations was aimed at cooperation with South Korea, Senator Lee affirmed this stance.
Lee stated that the U.S. has allied nations capable of meeting its shipbuilding needs, adding that South Korea is the most crucial among them. He further stressed that leveraging this relationship is just common sense.
In February, Senators Lee and John Curtis introduced the Naval Readiness Assurance Act, which would allow the U.S. to contract warship construction with allied nations under mutual defense agreements with Washington.
The proposed legislation stipulates that warships may only be built overseas if the cost is lower than U.S. domestic shipyards and if the shipyards are not operated by multinational corporations headquartered in China.
Lee pointed out that the U.S. has been waiting for its domestic shipbuilding industry to meet military demands, and this delay has weakened the Navy’s readiness. The Navy operates with dozens fewer ships than needed, and the Coast Guard has only one operational icebreaker.
The U.S. has recently expressed concerns over China’s rapid naval expansion, arguing that it must increase its fleet size to maintain maritime superiority. On February 27, the nominee for U.S. Secretary of the Navy mentioned Hanwha Group’s acquisition of Philly Shipyard in Philadelphia. The nominee emphasized the importance of attracting Hanwha’s capital and technology and called this cooperation essential.