Not building ships in the U.S. is considered a national security and economic threat because if there’s a conflict with China, for instance, Beijing could weaponize its substantial merchant fleet and cut the U.S. off from global goods. Korea’s Hanwha – which bought the Philly Shipyard in 2024 – plans to spend $5 billion on improvements to bring the facility into the 21st century. “Our aspiration is to get up to 20 ships a year here at the shipyard,” says David Kim, head of the Philly Shipyard. The yard is currently making about one a year. Kim also wants to grow the workforce by 7,000 to 10,000 people. #shipbuilding #nationalsecurity #manufacturing #economics