This organization is currently sitting on multiple LNG terminal permits that are critically needed to boost energy exports. Under the current system, most shipbuilding subsidies flow do not flow through the US Navy (they are the customer) but through the US Maritime Administration – an organization run by the so-called Ghost Admiral and known for secrecy and failure. A shortage that is even more relevant today with the vulnerability of pipelines (as seen with the Nord Stream explosions) and the closure of Red Hill, the world’s largest underground fuel and ship bunker storage facility.Īlso not addressed in this speech are the financial incentives. Senator Wicker does not mention other critical Navy shortages like US Navy working ships and the 100+ ship shortage in oil tankers and sealift capacity. These new NSMV ships are close to meeting targets because the Navy stepped aside from the project, outsourcing a significant portion of the oversight and planning to a corporate entity, Tote Services, who in turn outsourced much of the project to Korean firms that have imported many supplies from overseas manufacturers. Not mentioned is the fact the only large government shipbuilding project near budget and schedule is the National Security Multi-Mission Vessels (NSMV) shipbuilding program run by the US Maritime Administration. In what gCaptain has termed The Badger Problem, resources are squandered by well-meaning civil servants working at cross purposes. First and foremost is the fact that money spent via the US Navy often gets lost in NAVSEA program offices as they conduct studies and change requirements leading to cost overruns and delays. While details of the Shipyard Act have yet to fully emerge there are systemic issues with shipbuilding that have, so far, gone unaddressed by this bill. He calls for increased funding for submarine production, the addition of a second shipyard for Constellation-class frigate construction, and the acceleration of purchases of unmanned platforms and long-range munitions. His US Shipyard Act proposed a $25 billion investment in maritime infrastructure, empowering our shipyards to build the future of the US Navy fleet. Technicians cannibalize parts from other destroyers to keep the fleet afloat, while the once-mighty USS Connecticut and USS Boise languish in drydock for years on end.īut Senator Wicker believes there is hope. He decries the “strategic pause” that has left our sailors ill-equipped and our ships in disrepair. Senator Wicker does not shy away from pointing out the failures of the current administration in meeting Congress’s requirements for a 355-ship fleet. In April 2021 he, along with colleagues, introduced an act to designate $21 billion for the Navy’s four public shipyards in Virginia, Maine, Hawaii, and Washington, $2 billion for major Navy private new construction shipyards, and $2 billion for Navy private repair shipyards.

The stakes are high, and the pressure on the US Navy to fix longstanding shipbuilding issues is immense. Victories in the American Revolution, a rise to global prominence in the 19th century, and triumphs in two World Wars all hinged on the US Navy’s ability to command the seas. It’s a sobering reminder that the nation’s security has always been closely tied to naval power. The Chinese fleet’s expansion poses a direct threat not only to the United States but also to our allies in the region, including Japan, the Philippines, and Taiwan. He cites an alarming report predicting that by the end of this decade, China will have a fleet of 440 warships while the US will have only 290. Wicker paints a stark picture of the current state of the US Navy, contrasting it with China’s rapid growth. With the weight of history on his shoulders, Wicker asked the Senate to pass the US Shipyard Act, a bold move to revitalize maritime infrastructure and regain the nation’s footing in the world’s waters. By Captain John Konrad (gCaptain) Yesterday on the floor of Congress, Roger Wicker, the senior United States senator from Mississippi, addressed his fellow lawmakers about an issue that has been gnawing at the very fabric of our nation’s security: the shrinking size of the US Navy in the face of a growing Chinese naval force.

Roger wicker years in congress