White House Says 4 U.S. Navy Combat and Support Ships Should Be Built Overseas... Will South Korea Be Mentioned?

It was confirmed on the 4th (local time) that the U.S. White House has conveyed its position to the federal Congress that four U.S. Navy ships—two combat ships and two non-combat support ships—should be built overseas.

Allied nations such as South Korea and Japan are expected to be primarily considered as countries capable of building these U.S. Navy vessels.

If the White House's stance is actually reflected in congressional legislation, South Korea—which is currently pursuing the "MASGA" (Maritime Access and Security Growth Alliance) shipbuilding cooperation project with the United States—is expected to have strong potential for securing orders.

The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) included this content in the Statement of Administration Policy (SAP) on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2027, which was submitted to Congress on June 21 of last year while Congress was deliberating the NDAA.

In the document, the White House stated, "The Administration's proposal would authorize the Navy to contract with foreign shipyards to build two surface combatants and two non-combat auxiliary ships."

The White House expressed expectations that building Navy ships at foreign shipyards would not only resolve the "construction backlog" at U.S. shipyards but also lead to large-scale direct investments by overseas shipyards in construction, maintenance, and repair within the United States.

In particular, the White House cited the "Finland model," which was first applied to the U.S. Coast Guard's medium icebreaker program, as an example.

The strategy is to quickly secure initial vessels from overseas while transferring the technology and production methods of foreign shipyards to U.S. shipyards to restore domestic competitiveness.

The White House's Statement of Administration Policy (SAP) is an official document presented by the U.S. administration to outline its key priority policies for congressional bill deliberations.

This overseas construction initiative is drawing even more attention as it comes right after President Donald Trump recently mentioned South Korea, stating, "They are cooperating with us on ships," and previewing that "we will also purchase some ships built outside the region."

However, it remains uncertain whether the administration's stance will be fully maintained during the congressional deliberation process for the NDAA.

Above all, in the case of building combat ships overseas, there are security-related concerns within both Congress and the administration.

The United States, under the Byrnes-Tollefson Amendment, in principle prohibits the construction of U.S. Navy ships in foreign shipyards.

The NDAA passed by the House of Representatives on June 22 of last year mentioned the need to expand shipbuilding cooperation with South Korea to enhance U.S. shipbuilding capabilities and workforce development, but it was reportedly laden with provisions prohibiting the overseas construction of combat ships.

Meanwhile, the Senate Armed Services Committee previously passed its own version of the NDAA, which included provisions allowing up to two non-combat ships, such as "bulk fuel ships and strategic transport vessels, to be procured from foreign shipyards."

Therefore, intense debates are anticipated in Congress regarding the U.S. administration's new policy guideline to outsource not only non-combat ships but also combat vessels overseas.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.