Navy Secretary Says Need for New Shipbuilding Is 'National Emergency' at Hampton Roads Visit
The Virginian-Pilot | By Gavin Stone
Published April 17, 2025 at 2:13pm ET
Newly sworn-in Secretary of the Navy John Phelan visited Hampton Roads shipyards in Norfolk and Newport News on Wednesday as part of a tour that’s taken him around the country.
Speaking to media at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard after concluding his visit, Phelan emphasized the need for new investment in shipbuilding to meet the demands of the moment, calling it a “national emergency.” He floated building ships overseas in partnership with foreign allies as well as using old shipyards and advancements in technology to shrink the “footprint” of current shipyards to allow for expanded manufacturing of military vessels.
“I think we have grossly underinvested in this country and hollowed out manufacturing and that’s been a real problem, and we now have a real demand signal for the industrial base – particularly for (submarines) and carriers – and so we’re behind and now we have to catch up,” Phelan said.
He said in order to create the workforce needed to spur this growth, it would require jobs programs that match the focus put on coding in recent years.
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2025/04/17/navy-secretary-says-need-new-shipbuilding-national-emergency-hampton-roads-visit.html
