NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The Pentagon's proposed budget for the upcoming year includes a request for a nearly $2 billion study into the feasibility of building warships overseas.
The US Naval Institute, a non-profit that reports on the military, says shipyards in Japan and Korea could be considered for use under the proposal.
The Trump administration has made clear it wants to see more ships built. Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought recently said, "If we cannot get the ships we need from traditional sources at cost and on time, we will get them from other shipyards."
Earlier this year, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited Newport News Shipbuilding and delivered a speech about the need to ramp up shipbuilding production.
"We're holding your leadership accountable. We're holding your leadership's feet to the fire their jobs are on the line to ensure that you can deliver what America needs," Hegseth said.
News3 recently asked Sen. Tim Kaine about the proposal. He said he hadn't been made aware of it yet, but spoke generally about the idea.
"Some opportunities to look at ship construction and repair can really help us. It can also help us in the pace of production. We don't produce as many of our platforms as rapidly as we should," Kaine said.
Not everyone is on board. In a statement, the President of the Shipbuilders Council of America Matthew Paxton pushed back on the idea.
"We don't need to spend millions of taxpayer dollars to study what we already know; the U.S. has the industrial strength, skilled workforce, and technical expertise to build and sustain America's maritime force," the statement said.
Kaine added that while he is not familiar with the specific budget line item, he sees value in the broader conversation.
"If we're not able to get the right capacity purely on domestic production and exploring what are the kinds of things that might be done with allies who have strong shipbuilding programs makes some sense," Kaine said.
It is important to note this is a budget proposal. Congress will work on passing the defense budget in the coming months.
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