Washington’s plans to work with allies on warship design and construction face steep opposition at home, but analysts warn that the US must outsource shipbuilding to South Korea and Japan if it wants to close its gap in fleet size with China. The US budget submission for the next financial year includes US$1.85 billion for a study on outsourcing parts of the design and construction of frigates and destroyers, according to media reports last month. USNI News, the news service of the US Naval...
Beijing reaffirmed its opposition to arms sales to Taiwan after the acting secretary of the US Navy said Washington was pausing a US$14 billion weapons purchase by the self-governed island. “China’s firm opposition to US arms sales to China’s Taiwan region is consistent, clear and unwavering,” foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Friday. On Thursday, acting US Navy head Hung Cao told a congressional hearing that “right now we’re doing a pause in order to make sure we have the munitions...
Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao's remarks come as US President Donald Trump gives mixed signals on the sale.
US plans to build up to 15 battleships designed to serve as a “strike-centric arsenal ship” to deter China have been called into question. Analysts said the ships would not only be vulnerable to anti-ship missiles, but would also be expensive to operate and maintain, and questioned whether the United States had the industrial capacity to build the vessels. On Monday, the US Navy outlined its shipbuilding plan for the next three decades, including a detailed layout for what the White House has...