On Saturday, July 13, 2024, at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, President Trump arose from being shot at by an assassin’s bullets with his right fist raised high in the air, exhorting the crowd and all of America to “fight, fight, fight.” That iconic image, which has been burned across the minds of all Americans, if not the world, was a prelude to another image that should be equally memorialized, which was his announcement during his address to the joint session of Congress on March 4 of the creation of the Office of Shipbuilding. In many ways this announcement hearkens back to Butler, but this time the refrain is “build, build, build”—build our Navy and shipbuilding industry—Make America a Maritime Nation once again.
The President’s announcement of the creation of the Office of Shipbuilding is a visible reflection of the existential threat that the PRC’s 30-year naval and maritime modernization program represents to America’s national security. Since the 1995-96 Taiwan Strait Crisis, where the U.S. dispatched U.S. Navy aircraft carriers to the Taiwan Strait, the Chinese Communist Party has been executing a maritime modernization program that has transformed the PLA Navy from a coastal defense force into the largest navy on the planet.
This transformation, and change in the balance of power, was empowered by the PRC’s dramatic investment in China’s shipbuilding industry. Reports from the Office of Naval Intelligence reveal that the PRC’s shipbuilding capacity is more than 200 times that of the U.S. President Trump’s announcement of this new Office of Shipbuilding, to be housed within the White House, is a much-needed solution to the past three decades of dereliction of duty to this critical national security industry.
The fact that this office will be housed within the White House is a testament to the importance, and attention to detail, that the President has given to this national security issue. While historical comparisons are never fully complete, this announcement takes on the same importance as the “Two Ocean Navy Act” that was led by Senator Carl Vinson in 1940, which provided the requisite preparations for the U.S. Navy to be equipped to fight and defeat the Imperial Japanese Navy in World War Two after the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. Not only does this action provide critical support to America’s national defense, but it also provides Americans a new sector for new jobs. This truly is a “win-win” announcement.
Further proof of the President’s commitment to Making America a Maritime Nation came on 27 February during Secretary of the Navy nominee John Phelan’s testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Notably, Mr. Phelan stated, “If confirmed, my focus will be on three priorities: the health, welfare, and training of sailors and marines; strengthening naval capabilities, particularly shipbuilding in the defense industrial base; and fostering an adaptive, accountable, and innovative warfighter culture.”
Likewise, in his written Advanced Policy Question (APQ) answers regarding shipbuilding, Mr. Phelan stated, “I would push for a more agile, accountable, and flexible shipbuilding strategy by streamlining procurement, enhancing budget flexibility, strengthening partnerships with the defense industrial base, and holding contractors accountable for cost and schedule overruns. I would also drive operational modernization by leveraging emerging technologies, enhancing warfighter training through AI and simulation, and fostering a culture that prioritizes adaptability and mission effectiveness over rigid compliance. Finally, I would emphasize financial accountability, ensuring the Department of the Navy achieves a clean audit as soon as practicable, a critical step in restoring public trust, improving efficiency and readiness, and maximizing every defense dollar. These efforts would ensure that the Navy and Marine Corps remain the world’s most capable and formidable maritime force.”
While these words may not seem remarkable to some, the fact is Secretary of the Navy nominee Phelan’s words stand in stark contrast to those of the previous Secretary of the Navy, Carlos Del Toro, who made zero reference to shipbuilding during his opening statement to the Senate Armed Services Committee nomination hearing back on 13 July 2021. And while Secretary Del Toro APQ’s answers did contain some references to shipbuilding, the fact remains that under the Biden Administration’s leadership the U.S. Navy’s overall size, manpower and combat strength declined as the Secretary of the Navy placed more emphasis on Woke ideology rather than aggressively restoring our national shipbuilding industry and Navy. What makes this even more egregious is that this dereliction was done in the face of the PLA Navy’s unprecedented growth and hyper-aggressive operations against our allies and our national security interests.
Additionally, Mr. Phelan’s statements regarding shipbuilding clearly reflect the intensity President Trump has placed on this issue and reveal his strategy of restoring America’s maritime power, something that has not been seen in Washington since Secretary Lehman’s Maritime Strategy under President Reagan in the mid-1980s. “I think what is missing from what I can see is a sense of urgency,” Phelan said of the Navy’s shipbuilding record. “We’re just going along and everybody—it’s Kumbaya. It’s almost as if you’re waiting for a crisis to happen to ignite things. And I think in the business of warfare, that’s a dangerous place to be. So I think why the president selected me is I will bring a sense of urgency to this. I will bring a sense of accountability to this.”
It is also worth noting that nominee Phelan’s hearing was four months earlier in the cycle than Secretary Del Toro’s, another reflection of the “urgency” this President is making towards shipbuilding. Additionally, President Trump’s announcement to “take control” of the Panama Canal and assert influence over Greenland are clear and unambiguous indicators of this president’s deep understanding of the importance of maritime power and how these sea lines of communication and critical chokepoints impact America’s national security.
While the proof of these intentions will be in the actions that are taken in the coming months, this start is very encouraging for those of us who have been pushing to build our Navy in the face of the past 30 years of PRC’s naval buildup. There is not time to waste; the PRC’s maritime power and intentions are clear and must be deterred before they wreak havoc on our nation.
Little did we know that when President Trump raised his right hand in Butler and exhorted Americans to “fight, fight, fight,” he was likewise calling on the nation to “build, build, build” our shipbuilding industries and make America a maritime nation once again. Full steam ahead, Mr. President, and stay the course!
James E. Fanell served as a career naval intelligence officer whose positions included senior intelligence officer for China at the Office of Naval Intelligence and chief of intelligence for CTF-70, Seventh Fleet, and the U.S. Pacific Fleet. He is the co-author of Embracing Communist China: America’s Greatest Strategic Failure.