By W. Henagan
The Trump Administration has signed a new executive order on shipbuilding, the first formal action from the new “Office of Shipbuilding” that the President announced in March. Formally created as a new office within the National Security Council, the office reports to National Security Advisor Mike Waltz under the formal title of the “Office of Maritime and Industrial Capabilities.”
The President’s new order specifically (1) directs a broad range of whole-of-government actions that leverage existing tools and resources to support the Nation’s shipbuilding and maritime industries; (2) requires the formal development and submission of new legislative proposals to Congress to obtain resources and authority; and (3) directs an in-depth review of existing shipbuilding-related activities (particularly in the areas of procurement and Arctic policy) to better position the United States to address the People’s Republic of China’s growing commercial and military dominance in the maritime domain.
In doing so, the Trump administration has articulated its long-term approach to reviving American shipbuilding and maritime industrial capacity as a tool of global influence in developing Arctic shipping lanes and confronting China.
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