The USNS John Ericsson and the USS Ronald Reagan sail in formation with the Japanese destroyer JS Ikazuchi during a replenishment in the Philippine Sea, Aug. 16, 2020.  (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Jason Tarleton)

America long has lagged behind in shipbuilding. While its Navy is one of the largest in the world, there have been situations where maintenance hasn’t been first class, where replacement ships are delayed, where the latest tech just isn’t replicated across a fleet.

President Donald Trump wants that changed.

A report at the Federalist he has signed a presidential memo to improve the quality of America’s “depleted shipbuilding capacity.”

“The United States Navy has experienced a series of shipbuilding setbacks stemming from overly complex designs and iterative design change procedures, which have resulted in cost growth, delays, and cancellations. The lack of capacity and competition among shipbuilders has resulted in large backlogs of orders across six major Navy shipbuilding programs and a commercial shipbuilding sector that is not globally competitive,” the president wrote in his order.

“The Department of War shall restore both capacity and competition to the maritime industrial base as it expands our naval force structure.”

It’s called, “Rebuilding the United States Navy and America’s Shipbuilding Industrial Base.”

RESTORING AMERICA’S MARITIME DOMINANCE. 🇺🇸🚢

Today, President Trump signed a National Security Presidential Memorandum to decisively usher in a new Maritime Golden Age, expand commercial shipbuilding capacity, build a resilient workforce, and revitalize a crucial industry. pic.twitter.com/uGPK5chPcf

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 13, 2026

America’s decades-long shipbuilding decline is a national security emergency.@POTUS is taking bold action to rebuild our shipyards, strengthen our industrial base, & restore our naval dominance.

I look forward to working with him to ensure America—now & always—rules the waves. https://t.co/RyL8HqNCqL

— Senator Jim Banks (@SenatorBanks) August 14, 2026

Presidential Memo: Rebuilding the United States Navy and America’s Shipbuilding Industrial Base — USNI Newshttps://t.co/efk5ueb5H4 pic.twitter.com/yAhGF1FZym

— USNI News (@USNINews) August 13, 2026

Specifically it calls for more collaboration with allied nations on projects.

Trump cited an agreement between the U.S. and Finland last year on icebreaker construction and suggested that model for deals be adopted.

Among the goals is that shipbuilding projects soon will be under way at existing or new shipyards in the United States.

The deal also calls for companies to hire and train “an American citizen workforce for the United States shipyards” and also create a supply chain in the U.S. for construction and maintenance.