Photo By Lt. Sam Hardgrove | WASHINGTON (June 25, 2026) – William F. Mahan, Performing the Duties of Assistant...... read more read more
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WASHINGTON – William F. Mahan, Performing the Duties of Assistant Secretary of the Navy (ASN) for Research, Development, and Acquisition told an audience of lawmakers and industry partners on Capitol Hill today that the nation urgently needed to modernize and restore America’s maritime industrial base.
Speaking at the U.S. Navy League’s Congressional Shipbuilding Caucus breakfast, Mahan’s call to action invoked the seminal work of historical naval strategist Alfred Thayer Mahan, The Influence of Sea Power upon History. He noted that true sea power mandates not only a lethal combatant fleet but also a robust commercial shipping and shipbuilding industrial sector. Mahan said that while the U.S. had allowed these industries to atrophy, the People’s Republic of China is “executing the Mahanian playbook flawlessly.”
“We now face a national challenger that is competing with the United States across every domain, but there is only one domain that will determine whether they succeed in their national ambitions—the maritime domain,” said Mahan.
Mahan argued that restoring our nation’s shipbuilding industry was essential to protecting its prosperity as well as its security.
“America is, and always will be, a maritime nation. Our prosperity, our security, and our way of life are entirely dependent on the free flow of commerce across the world’s oceans,” he said. “Against the threats we face, the American shipbuilding industry must answer the call, or risk everything we have built over the last two and a half centuries.”
Mahan thanked the caucus for its robust, bipartisan support of shipbuilding, including critical “down payments” made with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) and the FY26 budget of more than $45 billion. He acknowledged that the pending National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) framework, which would provide more than $60 billion will continue generational investments across military and auxiliary supply lines and stabilizing the industrial base.
“The President and Congress have done their part.Now it’s up to the Navy and industry to do ours,” Mahan said. “And we will start with our most critical asset. Not our dry docks. Not our cranes. Our people.” Mahan said that the nation’s welders, pipefitters and electricians are the most important factor to restore shipbuilding. He emphasized that highly competitive wages and superior benefits must be offered to recruit and retain men and women to this “noble” profession.
"ChatGPT cannot build an aircraft carrier. Gemini won’t build our destroyers…or our battleship,” Mahan said. “It takes American muscle, American grit, and American engineering prowess. We need to invest in that workforce and that capability like our national survival depends upon it—because it does,” Mahan said. Mahan concluded by stressing that the Navy seeks to complement the skill of the American shipbuilder by aggressively integrating automated manufacturing, robotics, and best practices from international allies to reduce construction timelines.
"By bringing 21st century manufacturing tech, robotics and advanced data analytics to the waterfront, our shipbuilders can do more than just restore American shipbuilding to what it once was,” Mahan said. “We can accomplish things we never thought were possible."
| Date Taken: | 06.25.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 06.25.2026 16:02 |
| Story ID: | 568597 |
| Location: | DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, US |
| Web Views: | 74 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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