U.S. President Donald Trump has formally signaled his intent to team up with Korea's shipbuilding industry to revive America's flagging naval power. By specifically floating the option of directly purchasing warships built outside U.S. territory, analysts say U.S.-Korea defense cooperation has entered a new phase.
On the 15th (local time), Trump said in a speech at the Defense Innovation Summit at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, "We must rebuild the Navy," adding, "Therefore we will look at a few corporations coming from Korea and other regions." The remarks are seen as an attempt to tap Korean shipyards, which have overwhelming shipbuilding capabilities, as key partners for securing warships.
Trump hinted at the possibility of directly purchasing vessels built overseas, including in Korea, going beyond simple technology cooperation. Trump said, "We will also purchase some ships that are made outside the region," adding, "They are cooperating with the United States in the ship sector, and the United States will also build directly." He went on to emphasize, "The United States will secure many ships," signaling a major buildup.
For the U.S. military, replacing aging warships and expanding the overall size of the Navy is among the top security priorities. Trump said, "Even though we have the world's strongest Navy, the ships are aging," adding, "We had effectively stepped away from that industry." In fact, U.S. shipbuilding has gradually lost competitiveness for decades, leaving the country with virtually no robust shipyards capable of building warships.
However, as Trump noted, bringing in ships built overseas would first require lifting related regulations. Under the current Burns–Tollefson Act, building Navy warships overseas is in principle prohibited. Experts said attention is on whether Trump will exercise his authority to allow exceptions.
At the highest level in the United States, the Korean government has already shared substantial understanding over shipbuilding cooperation. The two countries have agreed to channel part of Korea's massive investment in the United States into the shipbuilding sector. Earlier, Trump met repeatedly with President Lee Jae-myung at the Group of Seven summit last month and at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit on the 7th of this month to discuss shipbuilding issues closely. The Ministry of National Defense and the Navy recently sent requests for information on combat ships and replenishment oilers to major domestic shipbuilders, launching working-level procedures.
At the Defense Innovation Summit event that day, Michael Coulter, the chief executive of Hanwha Defense USA, also attended and expressed confidence in reviving shipbuilding infrastructure in the United States. Coulter said, "Our shipyard in Korea builds about one ship per week," adding, "We plan to bring that capability to the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard." He added, "As the president knows better than anyone, warships win battles and shipyards win wars," and "We will revive Philadelphia's great tradition."