U.S. Navy moves to assess whether Korea can build warships for fleet

The U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Navy are reportedly assessing whether Korea’s largest shipbuilders can build warships for the former’s fleet.

Last month, Korea’s three biggest shipbuilders — HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, Hanwha Ocean and Samsung Heavy Industries — gave the United States a comprehensive account of their capabilities, including their annual construction capacity, design work force and construction records, according to the shipbuilding and defense industry on Wednesday.

The move came after the Defense Department and the Navy sent requests for information (RFI) to inquire about building combat ships and medium-sized oilers, which refuel a fleet at sea.

Under the U.S. Federal Acquisition Regulation, the government uses an RFI to gather market information, such as delivery terms and pricing, and draw up a procurement plan.

This marks the first time that the U.S. government has formally gauged Korean yards’ ability to build combat ships and follows the Group of Seven summit last month, during which U.S. President Donald Trump asked Korean President Lee Jae Myung whether Korea could quickly build 10 U.S. warships.

Seoul and Washington have been pressing ahead with shipbuilding cooperation under the "Make American Shipbuilding Great Again" framework, also known as MASGA. Industry representatives read the Defense Department and Navy inquiries as a sign that the presidents’ exchange has moved into detailed working-level review.

However, foreign companies have long found it difficult to enter the U.S. defense market. Under the Byrnes-Tollefson Amendment, first enacted in the 1960s, U.S. Navy warships may not be built in foreign shipyards, meaning the law would have to be revised for any construction to happen in Korean yards. Additionally, the U.S. House Armed Services Committee in early June approved the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027, which would bar U.S. Navy combat ships from being built in foreign shipyards.

In response, Korean shipbuilders plan to lean on U.S. shipbuilding infrastructure as much as possible. Hanwha is pursuing a license to build combat ships at Hanwha Philly Shipyard in Pennsylvania, which it acquired in 2024. HD Hyundai has partnered with Huntington Ingalls Industries and Samsung Heavy Industries with General Dynamics Nassco, the largest shipyard on the U.S. West Coast.

“We see that the U.S. government is assessing the Korean shipbuilding industry’s capabilities for future cooperation, including warship construction,” an industry source said. “Given the U.S. regulations on foreign defense firms, this seems to be an internal review to inform policy decisions.”

BY KO SUK-HYUN [[email protected]]