SECNAV: Robots won’t replace shipbuilders, but they could make jobs ‘easier’
Phelan said shipyards should equip workers with tools like automation and robotics to boost training.
Lauren C. Williams | July 17, 2025
Industry Robots AI & Autonomy Navy
DETROIT—The naval shipbuilding industry needs to lean in on robotics and automation to ease workforce challenges and boost performance, Navy Secretary John Phelan said Wednesday.
“We need to modernize how we train. I've been to 10 shipyards, and I've had one shipyard tell me how great their training was,” Phelan said at the Reindustrialize conference for tech and manufacturing startups and investors. “I spent one hour with the workers who told me how bad their training was—I realized there's a big problem here. And we need to start equipping them with the tools that they need to get their job done easier.”
Incorporating more automation and robotics could help address workforce challenges, he said.
“A lot of people are afraid of automation and robotics. I think it just enhances and makes the workers' jobs easier. I've seen that at a number of yards. It's not to replace jobs, it's to make [them] more efficient,” Phelan said.
https://www.defenseone.com/business/2025/07/secnav-robots-wont-replace-shipbuilders-they-could-make-jobs-easier/406810/?oref=d1-homepage-top-story&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=The%20D%20Brief:%20July%2018%2C%202025&utm_term=newsletter_d1_dbrief
