Navy League 2025: Trump highlights need for improved naval shipbuilding

Trump has signed an executive order to assess shipbuilding at shipyards like Newport News Shipbuilding, shown here. (Janes/Michael Fabey)

As new US Navy (USN) Secretary John Phelan was highlighting a need for shipbuilding improvements on 9 April during his speech at the Navy League Sea-Air-Space 2025 annual conference and exposition, President Donald Trump was putting the industry under review.

“It is becoming [in] my mind a national emergency,” Phelan said. “President Trump has expressed strong support for expanding and revitalising our enabled shipbuilders. He has stated to me many times, ‘shipbuilding, shipbuilding, shipbuilding'”.

For more information on the secretary's comments, please seeNavy League 2025: New navy secretary cites readiness as priority .

Later that same day, Trump signed an executive order calling for studies and assessments for US shipbuilding.

“Within 45 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Transportation, and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall conduct a review of shipbuilding for United States Government use and submit a report to the President with recommendations to increase the number of participants and competitors within United States shipbuilding, and to reduce cost overruns and production delays for surface, subsurface, and unmanned programs,” the order said.

“This report must include separate itemised and prioritised lists of recommendations for the United States Army, Navy, and Coast Guard and shall be included in the MAP [Maritime Action Plan].”

It is not clear how this study will differ from the US Navy's own recent 45-day review of major shipbuilding programmes.