Pentagon mulls plan to outsource warship design and building to Korea, Japan
The Pentagon is exploring the possibility of outsourcing warship design and construction to Korea and Japan, with a proposed $1.85 billion feasibility study included in the 2027 budget. This initiative aims to address delays and capacity issues in U.S. shipbuilding while potentially acquiring advanced foreign designs. If implemented, it would mark the first major purchase of surface combatants from foreign partners since World War II.
- ▪The feasibility study will assess the adoption or co-production of advanced hulls like Japan's Mogami-class and Korea's Daegu-class frigates.
- ▪The U.S. Navy is facing significant production challenges, including labor shortages and cost overruns.
- ▪Any foreign involvement in U.S. shipbuilding would require a presidential waiver and could face opposition from domestic stakeholders.
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Warships from Korea, the United States and Japan participate in an anti-submarine exercise in the East Sea in this Sept. 30, 2022 file photo. Courtesy of ROK NavyThe Pentagon is considering outsourcing warship design and building to Korea and Japan with a proposed $1.85 billion feasibility study into the project, according to U.S. media reports.The study — included in the 2027 budget — will look at the feasibility of adopting or co-producing advanced hulls such as Japan’s Mogami-class and Korea’s Daegu-class frigates to supplement the U.S. Navy’s overstretched production lines, USNI News reported on Friday.If the plan goes ahead it will be the first time the U.S.
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