U.S. Shipbuilders Ready to Build Trump’s 350-Ship Navy

Photo: Huntington Ingalls Shipbuilding

The U.S. shipbuilding industry is ready to work with Donald Trump to help realize his goal of a 350-ship Navy, the Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA) said Monday in a statement congratulating the President-elect and members of the 115th Congress.

“We congratulate President-elect Trump, his nominees and the new and returning members of the 115th Congress and look forward to working with them on a positive agenda with a strong commitment to jobs, infrastructure projects and building up America’s Armed Forces and industrial base,” said Matthew Paxton, President of SCA.

The press release seemed optimistic about President-elect Trump’s pledge to grow the U.S. Navy fleet to 350 ships. There are currently 273 deployable ships in the U.S. Navy, according to the Navy’s website.

“SCA and the entire U.S. shipyard industry stands ready to work with the new Administration and Congress and we are optimistic that in addition to building towards a 350-ship Navy, we can work together on policies that remove the uncertainty of sequestration, encourage predictable funding levels and building ships ‘smarter’ and more efficiently, including pursuing alternative funding strategies in addition to substantial and sustained funding to maximize taxpayer dollars.”

The private shipbuilding and repair industry in the U.S. supports over 399,000 jobs, contributing $25.1 billion in labor income and $37.3 billion in U.S. GDP across the country, according to the SCA.

“More than 5000 suppliers, many of whom are small businesses, need predictability and stability in funding for Navy ships in order to invest in the procurement process,” the SCA press release said. “We look forward to working with President-elect Trump, his Administration and the Congress to achieve these goals in 2017 and beyond.”

Unlock Exclusive Insights Today!

Join the gCaptain Club for curated content, insider opinions, and vibrant community discussions.

Sign Up