Navy Secretary tells shipbuilders to “act like we’re at war.” What it means for Mississippi’s Ingalls shipyard is unclear

China has over 230 times the shipbuilding capacity than the U.S. The Navy wants U.S. shipbuilders to improve schedules, increase capacity, and reduce costs.

As China continues to rapidly build out its naval shipbuilding operations, expanding its fleet at a faster pace than the U.S., Navy Secretary John Phelan is encouraging American shipyards to “act like we’re at war” in terms of production and readiness.

The Office of Naval Intelligence reports that China currently has over 230 times the shipbuilding capacity than the U.S.

“Modern weapons systems take 10 years or more to design. You’d never accept that in private markets, and neither will we,” Phelan said this week, pushing back on the often decades-long acquisition model. “Our adversaries are not slowing down. We must evolve faster.”