US Navy shipbuilding is ‘a mess.’ South Korean companies think they can help fix it

US President Donald Trump wants to “Make American Shipbuilding Great Again.” And leaders at two South Korean shipyards say that, given the chance, they could do just that.The shipyards – run by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan, and Hanwha Ocean in Geoje – are already making some of the world’s top-rated warships for the South Korean navy. On time. And within budget.

Officials at both facilities are emphatic that they are ready to share the technology and knowhow needed to construct guided-missile destroyers, frigates and submarines with a US Navy that faces a shipbuilding crisis as it tries to keep up with an ever-growing Chinese fleet.Top officials have made the size of the problem clear.

“All of our programs are a mess,” US Secretary of the Navy John Phelan told a US House hearing in June.

“I think our best one is six months late and 57% over budget … That is the best one,” Phelan testified.

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