Sen. Tim Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL, has warned that a crisis in American shipbuilding has left the United States dangerously outpaced by an aggressively expanding Chinese fleet. Speaking on a podcast, Sheehy said China is now constructing ships much faster than the US, creating a national security problem.
Shipbuilding Industry in Decline
Sheehy blamed the slowdown on the country becoming complacent during a prolonged period of peace, arguing the US wasn’t prepared for future conflicts. He warned that while a depleted Army can be fixed in just one to two years, rebuilding the Navy’s industrial base is a much deeper, longer-term problem.
The Trump administration has been a vocal critic of the slowdown in US shipbuilding. In April 2025, the White House released an executive order attempting to tackle the issue, writing policy to revitalize and rebuild the maritime industry.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
