America Should Build Its Own Warships While Buying Tankers

The United States should focus its limited shipbuilding resources on constructing critical naval vessels like submarines and unmanned systems rather than attempting to reshore commercial shipbuilding. Reviving the domestic commercial sector will not create the specialized capacity needed for advanced warships and will compete for scarce resources and skilled labor. Instead, Washington should leverage the comparative advantages of allies like Japan and South Korea to procure necessary commercial tankers and merchant vessels more cheaply. This strategy allows the U.S. to address its immediate military readiness gaps while strengthening alliances. The threat of Chinese economic coercion through its shipbuilding dominance is also overstated, as the global market has ample time to adjust to any potential restrictions.