ARLINGTON, Virginia — A senior U.S. lawmaker proposed that South Korea build most of certain U.S. Navy vessels while sensitive systems and final assembly remain in the United States, arguing that Washington should rely more heavily on allied shipbuilding capacity to address production shortfalls.
Representative Ami Bera of California, the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific, said South Korean shipyards could construct about 75% to 80% of a ship's structure before the vessels are completed in the United States. He made the remarks at a South Korea-U.S. shipbuilding and maritime innovation forum hosted by the Korea Foundation and the RAND Corporation in Arlington, Virginia.
"To say we are going to build everything in the United States is wrong," Bera said, according to remarks reported from the event, citing limitations in the U.S. shipbuilding workforce and industrial capacity. He proposed a distributed production model in which hulls and major structural components would be built in South Korea while sensitive technologies would be manufactured, integrated and installed in the United States.
The proposal comes as Washington seeks ways to accelerate naval ship production amid growing strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific and persistent delays affecting several U.S. shipbuilding programs. Analysts and industry officials have argued that South Korea's globally competitive commercial and naval shipbuilding sector could help supplement U.S. capacity while domestic yards expand.
However, existing U.S. law generally prohibits construction of military vessels, or major hull and superstructure components, in foreign shipyards unless a president grants a national security waiver. The Congressional Research Service has identified overseas construction in allied countries, including South Korea and Japan, as one option under discussion, while noting the statutory restrictions.
The issue has also generated debate in Congress. Defense legislation under consideration has included provisions that would restrict or modify the executive branch's authority to procure warships built in foreign shipyards, reflecting concerns about preserving the domestic industrial base even as lawmakers examine options to strengthen naval production.
Industry representatives at the forum said the U.S. Navy has requested information from South Korean shipbuilders, including Hanwha and HD Hyundai, on potential cooperation covering combat vessels, auxiliary ships and ship components. They emphasized that no unified policy has yet emerged from the administration and Congress on the scope of any future partnership.
No legislative proposal reflecting Bera's recommendation had been adopted as of July 18, and discussions on expanding U.S.-South Korea shipbuilding cooperation remain ongoing.
