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U.S. Eyes Warships from Japanese and South Korean Shipyards
- Published on 04/06/2026
- By Kosuke Takahashi
- In News
The bow section of Yoshii, the 12th Mogami-class frigate under construction at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' Nagasaki Shipyard. The vessel was launched on Dec. 22, 2025. (Photo by Kosuke Takahashi, July 1, 2025)Share
The United States may be on the verge of an unprecedented step: procuring major naval vessels from allied shipbuilders in Japan and South Korea to help address growing capacity constraints in the U.S. naval industrial base.
A proposed $1.85 billion funding request included in the Pentagon’s fiscal year 2027 budget is increasingly being viewed not merely as a study effort, but as a potential precursor to future warship procurement from allied shipyards. As USNI News first reported, the Pentagon has directed the U.S. Navy to consider Japanese and Korean shipyards and designs for use in the U.S. fleet, with budget documents stating that the funds would be “split into two separate study and procurement efforts targeting the fleet’s future [cruiser/destroyer] and frigate inventories.”
Among the major shipbuilders that could potentially benefit from such an initiative are South Korea’s Hanwha Ocean, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and Samsung Heavy Industries, as well as Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) and Japan Marine United (JMU).
USNI News reported that the Pentagon is considering both foreign ship designs and the possibility of constructing ship components in allied shipyards as part of its effort to expand naval shipbuilding capacity.