What will it take to bring back US naval production? |
What will it take to bring back US naval production?
Years of budget shortfalls led to a decline in Navy force levels from a Reagan-era peak of 597 warships in 1987, to 293 battle force ships as of October 1 2025.
The fiscal 2026 budget plan for 19 new ships marked a serious reversal of that trend. The new fiscal 2027 budget adds 18 battle force ships and 16 non-battle force ships. The $66 billion shipbuilding and construction budget request is the highest since 1962. It represents a major attempt to yield a larger fleet which, as a result, will not suffer from the strain of long deployments that has become far too common today.
Despite the massive injection of funds into desperately needed ship construction, it is not at all clear that there will be a commensurate increase in the shipbuilding workforce to ensure that ships will be delivered on time. The U.S. Navy’s relatively small number of private and public shipyards have long suffered from a shortfall in skilled workers, notably electricians, fitters and welders.
As a February 2025 Government Accountability Office report stated, “All seven shipbuilders face workforce limitations — such as problems with recruitment, retention, or skill level — that affect their ability to meet the Navy’s new ship delivery goals. … The skilled workforce in the U.S. — such as for welding and electrical work — is aging and retiring, and fewer new workers are learning these skills to replace retiring workers.”
The report added that “the majority of shipbuilders [will] need to hire thousands of skilled employees in the coming years, which will increase the number of inexperienced staff [and] will result in a smaller proportion of experienced skilled........