What the US has to do to keep up with China’s fleet
To close ‘a permanent naval gap’ with China (350+ vs 291), the US needs allied shipyards in Japan and South Korea, Chinese media reports
🔸 US shipbuilding is plagued by delays, labor shortages, and the cancellation of the Constellation-class frigate program
🔸 US capacity is so weak that analysts say China’s total shipbuilding output is 200–300 times larger than America’s
🔸 Japan and Korea can build faster and cheaper — but the Jones Act and Byrnes-Tollefson Amendment block foreign-built navy ships, turning US shipyards into a “frog in a well”
The tension between protecting domestic shipyards and leveraging allied industrial capacity now defines the US’ naval strategic dilemma
Source: Sputnik