When Rep. Carlos Gimenez delivered his sobering assessment of America’s shipbuilding crisis this week, he laid bare a truth that Washington’s foreign policy establishment has desperately tried to hide: our once-dominant naval industrial base has been systematically gutted by decades of globalist trade policies that prioritized cheap goods over national security.
The Florida Republican’s stark revelation that China can outbuild America 250-to-1 in large vessels represents nothing short of a national emergency. This isn’t just about numbers on a Pentagon spreadsheet—it’s about the fundamental capacity to project American power and protect American interests in an increasingly dangerous world.
For over a century, American naval supremacy has been the invisible foundation supporting everything from global trade routes to the dollar’s reserve currency status. When President Theodore Roosevelt sent the Great White Fleet around the world in 1907, he demonstrated that American industrial might could build a navy capable of enforcing peace through strength. That same principle guided us through two world wars and the Cold War.
Yet somewhere along the way, Washington’s bipartisan foreign policy establishment decided that manufacturing ships in America was too expensive, too difficult, and too “20th century” for our sophisticated global economy. They assured us that Chinese shipyards could handle the heavy lifting while American workers transitioned to the “knowledge economy.”
The results speak for themselves. China now operates the world’s largest navy by hull count, while American shipyards struggle to maintain even our existing fleet. The constitutional mandate in Article I, Section 8 to “provide and maintain a Navy” has been treated as an optional suggestion rather than a sacred duty.
Gimenez’s emphasis on the proposed Trump-class ships offers a glimpse of what American naval revival could look like. Rather than simply trying to match China’s quantity-based approach, these vessels would leverage America’s technological superiority to achieve maximum lethality with smaller, more sophisticated platforms. It’s classic American military doctrine: use innovation and superior engineering to multiply force effectiveness.
The economic implications extend far beyond defense contractors. Naval shipbuilding represents some of the highest-skilled manufacturing work in America, with each shipyard job supporting multiple positions throughout the industrial supply chain. When we rebuild our shipbuilding capacity, we’re not just strengthening our navy—we’re revitalizing entire communities and creating pathways to middle-class prosperity that can’t be outsourced to Beijing.
The timing for this naval renaissance couldn’t be better. While China’s shipbuilding boom was fueled by unsustainable debt and central planning, their economy now faces mounting pressures from demographic collapse, real estate implosion, and the inevitable inefficiencies of authoritarian command structures. America can rebuild our capacity with fiscal discipline and technological superiority just as China’s artificial advantage begins to crumble.
This isn’t about warmongering or unnecessary military adventurism. It’s about restoring the basic capacity to defend American interests and maintain the maritime security that global commerce depends upon. When potential adversaries know that America possesses both the will and capability to defend our principles, they’re far more likely to choose cooperation over confrontation.
The path forward requires more than just appropriating funds for new ships. We need comprehensive industrial policy that rebuilds domestic steel production, secures rare earth mineral supplies, and trains the next generation of skilled shipbuilders. Most importantly, we need leaders who understand that true national security cannot be purchased from potential adversaries.
Rep. Gimenez’s candid assessment offers hope that this new generation of America First leadership recognizes both the scope of the challenge and the magnitude of the opportunity. By rebuilding our naval industrial base, we’re not just preparing for potential future conflicts—we’re laying the foundation for continued American prosperity and leadership in the decades ahead.
The choice is clear: we can continue down the path of managed decline, or we can reclaim our birthright as the world’s premier maritime power.
