In response to China's naval expansion, the United States considers purchasing frigates made by Japan, South Korea, and Türkiye

In response to the rapid expansion of the Chinese Navy in recent years and to make up for the lack of local shipbuilding capacity, the U.S. Navy and the White House are actively discussing breaking the tradition of more than a century of domestically built warships and considering purchasing a new generation of frigates designed and built by Japan, South Korea and even Türkiye.

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Asia-Pacific’s comparative advantage may gradually be lost

Multiple U.S. Navy officials revealed to Nikkei Asia that the Pentagon is currently facing the serious challenge of insufficient number of ships. According to statistics from the Japanese Ministry of Defense, the number of China's modern destroyers and frigates surged nearly sevenfold between 2001 and 2026. Although the United States still leads China's 700 ships with a total fleet of 970 ships, the U.S. military is dispersed around the world. As China's naval strength rapidly approaches, the U.S.'s relative advantage in the Asia-Pacific waters may gradually be lost.

China, South Korea and Japan are the top three countries in the world in terms of shipbuilding capacity. In comparison, the U.S. shipbuilding industry has shrunk significantly after the Cold War, with annual merchant ship production remaining in single digits. Although the Trump administration allocated US$66 billion in the fiscal year 2027 budget to build 34 warships and support ships, due to the inability of local production capacity to keep up in time, the Pentagon has turned its attention to allies with mature shipbuilding capabilities.

Frankly admitting that Japan’s shipbuilding technology is extremely excellent

USNI News reported that the overseas ship types currently included in the evaluation include the export upgraded version of the "Mogami-class" missile frigate developed by Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and has been favored by the Royal Australian Navy; the "Chungnam-class" missile frigate built by South Korean shipbuilding giant Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI); and Turkey's "Istanbul-class" frigate.

It is expected to adopt the "Finnish model" to promote

U.S. officials admitted frankly that Japan's shipbuilding technology is "extremely excellent" and "we may purchase some Japanese frigates." When South Korean President Lee Jae-myung met with Trump in July this year, he also introduced South Korea's major shipbuilding companies and expressed a high degree of willingness to cooperate. High-level US military officials and congressional delegations have recently visited South Korean shipyards more intensively.

This rare arms purchase concept is expected to be promoted using the so-called "Finnish model". According to the shipbuilding revitalization memorandum issued by the White House in August this year, if foreign companies commit to investing in new or acquiring existing shipyards in the United States, they will be allowed to build the first two ships of the same type in their home countries and deliver them to the U.S. military first, and then transfer the construction operations and technology to domestic shipyards in the United States for production. This move is intended to quickly fill the gap in the US military's surface combat capabilities and prevent the high-end "Buck-class" Aegis destroyers from being wasted on basic patrols or general escort missions in less contested waters.

Overseas ship purchases face major internal resistance

However, this overseas ship purchase concept still faces significant resistance within Washington. Although the White House has invoked the "national security interests" exemption clause in an attempt to circumvent legal restrictions prohibiting foreign-built warships from entering service, the House and Senate Armed Services Committees have taken countermeasures in the draft of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 27, attempting to delete the national security exemption and strictly limit related expenditures. The subsequent struggle between the executive and legislative departments will directly affect the final direction of this epoch-making overseas shipbuilding plan.

Detained 6#Trump#United States#China Navy#Pentagon#Purchase Japanese and Korean Warships#Counter China#White House〈/span