"U.S. Navy’s 2026 Shipbuilding Plan" Topic

This presumes that China's A2AD capabilities are sufficiently developed to keep carriers more or less out of the combat area with overwhelming attack resources as described.

Navy Is Getting A Unique Virginia Class Seabed Espionage Submarine

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Armand

Multiple USS Abraham Lincoln sailors have tried to go overboard amid extended deployment, families say

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Armand

Trum $23 USD billons ships will be oudated before it even hit water

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Armand

Viewed as yet another potential building failure for the Navy…like LCS. This type of ship is not even design ready to be built. I am still wondering about its origins. Did the navy propose this or was it Trump's idea? Was the mission, the key to any building project, clearly envisioned by Trump? How did he assess the need? Not exactly a real estate deal…Or was the rationale reverse engineered after the fact?

Generally believed that costs will rise to $275 USD million per ship. And the existing carrier program will be disrupted by building these ships. The chronic need for more destroyers, more ships in general, left unanswered. The insufficient shipyard capacity, loss of skilled workers should be major priorities. When will someone address this crisis? More money we don't have to be spent as stagflation sets in around the country.

The battleship is around $24 USD Billion a piece, not $275 USD million.

Yes Martyn, a rush job on my part. The whole program may run 275 million – my bad indeed…

Billion, Tort, billion.

My vote is to put Torts in charge of Military purchasing, if he can cut costs like that :)

Trump Orders Navy to Restore Older Tech on Aircraft Carriers, Costing Billions

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The Small Warship We Should Have Had

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Armand

No! Don't put me in charge..am clearly not able to demonstrate basic math skills Or maybe …Yes! Put me in charge, am clearly not able to demonstrate basic math skills.

Also…I paraphrase quote POTUS here…"Magnets…nobody knows how they work."

The Columbia-Class and the Future of America's Sea-Based Nuclear Deterrent

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Armand

The US Navy's Virginia-Class SSGNs Could Be Better Than Their Predecessors

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Armand

U.S. Navy Names X-Bat To Emerging, Ship-Based VTOL Strike Concept

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The US Army's New Sea Hauler Can Move an Entire Main Battle Tank

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Trump's Plan for Foreign-Built Navy Ships Runs Into Resistance

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Armand

I would have thought that Trump would be the last person to do this. We are still losing manufacturing jobs at a high rate. We need those shipyards here and soon. America First anyone? The rate of ballroom construction is a good target for restoring ship building capacity.

Proposed Changes and Expansion Plans

Fifth Public Yard: A presidential directive instructs officials to deliver a formal plan for a fifth public naval shipyard, which may include up to three new dry docks.

Component Repair Center: A separate facility is planned to handle, repair, and store critical parts for major submarine classes.

Private and Overseas Capacity: The administration has also authorized framework measures allowing select foreign allied shipyards to assist with construction and support, alongside major infrastructure investments at private yards like Newport News Shipbuilding.

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The U.S. government relies on overseas allied shipyards primarily as a temporary bridge to solve severe domestic production delays and capacity backlogs.

The White House's August 2026 Shipbuilding Memorandum leverages foreign allies through a specific strategy known as the "Finland Model". This arrangement serves several critical purposes:

Speed and Stopgap Capacity

Clearing Backlogs: Domestic shipyards are facing extensive labor shortages and maintenance backlogs. Submarines and destroyers routinely face long delays for overhauls.

Rapid Acquisition: By using highly efficient foreign yards (such as those in South Korea or Italy), the Navy can rapidly acquire initial support ships, like cargo tankers and roll-on/roll-off supply vessels, while domestic capacity is built.

Infusion of Foreign Capital and Tech

Mandatory U.S. Reinvestment: To qualify for foreign construction under this model, overseas shipbuilders must buy a majority stake in or build a new shipyard on American soil. For example, South Korea's Hanwha recently acquired Philly Shipyard to establish a major U.S. presence.

Technology Transfer: Foreign builders are legally required to train American workers and license their highly advanced, automated shipbuilding technologies to their U.S. facilities.

Supply Chain and Alliance Strengthening

Strict Domestic Rules: Even when the first one or two hulls of a ship class are built abroad, the foreign company must utilize a U.S. supply chain for all subsequent vessels built in the States.

Geopolitical Deterrence: Integrating the industrial capacities of close allies into the American defense ecosystem deepens logistic partnerships, which is seen as critical for countering rapid maritime expansion from adversaries like China.

Rome wasn't built in a day.

In the U.S. you have to fight so many hurdles to get this off the ground, including unions and a lack of shipbuilding experienced personnel.

Maybe instead of throwing the border wide open to anyone with a pulse, we instead had sought out the skilled professionals we actually "needed" in our country and had a controlled migration? 😳

It took decades of "neglect" to put us in the situation we are in today.

Yes, that's true. But we continue to lose thousands of manufacturing jobs to robots and overseas. We know what the issues are, as you listed above. How about federal training programs for a new all American shipbuilding workforce? We got into gear for WW2 a lot faster.

We can build a ballroom in a few months, but that money, which is not all donated, could have built a destroyer. WHo are those guys working 20 hours a day six days a week? Why? Call their union, get them over to General Dynamics right away…

The biggest problem of all lies in in the habit of starting the actual hull construction before the design work is finalized. Thats why it takes years to finish anything.

And the latest example…the battleships, already trying to source the materials. The irony of getting steel from overseas, nearly 100 years after selling the Japanese the same thing before Pearl Harbor… We need destroyers ASAP, and we have enough security issues without farming the work out. We can fast track better than this. Congress is not even a factor now.

We can build a ballroom in a few months, but that money, which is not all donated, could have built a destroyer.

We can't, actually -- it's been blocked by law suits. And that's another serious problem to expanding ship building capacity, the leftist eco-groups will use every trick they can to block it as they have other major infrastructure projects.

A new Arleigh Burke costs about $2.5 USD Billion with full missile load out. I know the cost of the ballroom has escalated from $200 USD million to $600 USD million but it is still nowhere near the cost of a destroyer.

SB and Martyn +1

The ballroom, which I have no issues with since I understand why it was initially wanted. The extras, like the hospital, I do not know who or what necessitated them. But it is what it is. Probably be close to done now, but for the continuous judicial interference. For NO GOOD reason.

While the administration originally stated the ballroom would be built at "zero cost" to taxpayers via philanthropic gifts, internal documents from lead contractor Clark Construction outline a 50/50 public-private split for the building complex:

Private Sources ($293 Million): Funded by corporations and wealthy individuals through the non-profit Trust for the National Mall.

U.S. Secret Service ($155 Million): Taxpayer funds redirected for site security infrastructure.

White House Military Office ($149 Million): Public money used for structural hardening and defense systems.

Executive Residence Account ($3 Million): Taxpayer funds utilized for maintenance and operations.

These public funds are being used to construct an underground military bunker and hospital beneath the ballroom, a rooftop drone-defense center, and to execute the total demolition of the original East Wing structure.

If we are concerned about millions or billions and how they are squandered, let's start with political campaigns:

One example:

The 2020 election wasn't just historic for its turnout — it also cost an arm and a leg. In fact, it was the most expensive federal election on record. Yet apparently the Trump campaign is in a hole.

According to Open Secrets, the price tag for the federal election was just shy of a whopping $14 USD billion, double the previous presidential election cycle. The spending was split between $6.6 USD billion for the presidential race and $7.2 USD billion for the Congressional contests. Meanwhile at the state level an additional $2.5 USD billion was spent in state elections for candidates and ballot measures, according to Follow the Money.

Democrats outspent Republicans at the federal level, with Democrats spending $6.9 USD billion. This was buoyed by the spending of two billionaire candidates in the Democratic presidential primary, Tom Steyer and Michael Bloomberg. Meanwhile the Republicans spent $3.8 USD billion. And in contrast to 2016 when candidate Trump partially self-funded, in 2020, candidate Trump put zero of his own dollars into his own re-election effort.

Just think of the new destroyers!! 😉
All that WASTED MONEY!!
Did any of you contribute?? 😏

More you ask?? 👂

What about all those billions in taxpayer welfare and other scams being uncovered in the last year? Especially amongst the migrant and illegal communities. Maybe we should contact the "Quality Learing Center" in MN for additional details?

All those new destroyers and maybe new missile facilities. 😳

Obviously just the tip of wasted billions.

So I'm not too concerned about the ballroom.

Where did all those new charging stations we paid for go?? 😏

It is symbolic and not needed. The landlords agree. No, it will not literally pay for a destroyer – yet. I want more American ships. Not all this other @#$%.

Make the scam artists in Minnesota and elsewhere pay back, fine with me. Fix the lobbying, conflict of interest, insider trading, all of it. Fix procurement – I have advocated for years. The people we actually voted for should be a starting point in a dream world. But just stop all the showy stuff and buckle down. Start a massive technical training program for ship building skills, build the next yard – now. Pretend its a ballroom. That's my point.

Just in:

"Supreme Court allows Trump to continue White House ballroom construction for now
PUBLISHED FRI, AUG 21 20262:19 PM EDTUPDATED 43 MIN AGO"

Tort, I say you can only spend 10,000 in donations to run. Or your own money. Now how many will run? 😂

Bring in people from overseas with the skills. Dump those here who came in illegally.

Actually bring in people with the skills needed to support themselves and their families, NO government freebies. They can train more.

Stop the pipeline to universities with degrees that are pretty much useless and don't pay enough to pay off their loans…. If they can even get a job with the degree.

Steer them to trade jobs instead. The money is there. They are begging for them and will even pay for training in some cases! Plumbers, electricians… even ship building, just for you. 🙂

Yes!! Just get it done!

Your campaign finance reform amount can be found under the couch cushions of every Congressman's office! It let's hope we live to see the day😵‍💫

Tortorella +1