In his speech to Congress yesterday night, US President Donald Trump announced the establishment of a White House Office of Shipbuilding – an initiative welcomed by the Shipbuilders Council of America.
“To boost our defense industrial base, we are also going to resurrect the American shipbuilding industry, including commercial shipbuilding and military shipbuilding,” Mr. Trump said. “And for that purpose, I am announcing tonight that we will create a new office of shipbuilding in the White House that offers special tax incentives to bring this industry home to America where it belongs.”
“We used it to make so many ships. We don’t make them anymore very much, but we’re going to make them very fast, very soon. It will have a huge impact,” he added, without offering more details.
Such a function has historically been integrated within the Maritime Administration (MARAD) and in Naval Sea Systems Command.
“We applaud the creation of the White House Office of Shipbuilding, and the entire shipyard industrial base not only stands at the ready to work with the new Office of U.S. Shipbuilding, but we are also ready to answer the call to design and build America’s commercial and military fleets,” said Matthew Paxton, President of the Shipbuilders Council of America. The Council represents 37 companies that own and operate 80 shipyards in the United States.
“By fully utilizing the existing domestic shipyard capacity, the shipyard industrial base can meet the growing demands of national defense, restore American competitiveness, and create thousands of skilled jobs,” Mr. Paxton said.
In recent years, shipyard delays and workforce shortages have raised the industry’s profile in Washington.
(Photos from the Shipbuilders Council of America)