The United States is turning to South Korea’s world-leading shipbuilding industry to refresh its ageing naval fleet, a move set to expand the bilateral alliance beyond security into defence manufacturing, technology and industrial production.
The approach reflects Washington’s efforts to address long-standing problems in its own industry, according to analysts – chronic construction delays, cost overruns, shortages of skilled workers and supply chain constraints among them. It also signals a strategy of tapping trusted allies to narrow naval capability gaps amid rising maritime tensions worldwide.
“South Korea is widely regarded as one of the most practical partners for such cooperation,” said Doo Jin-ho, director of the Eurasia Research Centre at the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy.
At last month’s G7 summit, US President Donald Trump reportedly asked his South Korean counterpart, Lee Jae Myung, if Seoul could rapidly build 10 warships for the US. Lee’s office said the two leaders held follow-up discussions on the sidelines of the Nato summit this week.
Washington’s interest in South Korean shipyards went beyond cost reduction or a one-time procurement contract, Doo said. “It reflects Washington’s effort to address persistent problems in the US shipbuilding industry.”