- Trump unveils maritime action plan strengthening historic shipbuilding cooperation with South Korea, Japan.
- Strategy includes allied shipyard production while rebuilding domestic United States maritime industry.
- Initiative secures major investments to counter global competition and boost naval capacity.
The United States government published a complete maritime action plan which President Donald Trump established to restore the American shipbuilding industry and the United States permanent alliance with South Korea and Japan.
The plan which America Maritime Action Plan has as its title was published on February 13 2026 after Trump issued an executive order in April to restore the United States maritime power.
The initiative exists because people worry that the United States lacks sufficient shipbuilding resources to compete with other nations especially China which controls most of the world's ship production.
The plan shows that it requires collaboration with South Korea and Japan, which serve as America’s closest Asian partners who possess advanced shipbuilding skills.
The document states that the U.S. will continue its historic cooperation with these nations as part of a broader strategy to strengthen industrial ties and boost domestic shipbuilding output.
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The bilateral trade and investment framework includes this partnership, which incorporates South Korean commitments that relate to both tariff adjustments and investment packages.
The “Bridge Strategy” serves as the main element which supports the execution of the maritime action plan because it enables shipbuilding operations to begin immediately through its provision that permits shipbuilders to construct their initial contract vessels at their foreign partner shipyards.
The plan will lead to the development of domestic ship construction facilities which will expand the United States maritime industrial base over the long term. The strategy exists because the U.S. shipbuilding industry currently operates at low capacity while the country requires quick development of its shipbuilding facilities.
The action plan also highlights significant financial commitments: Trump’s administration has secured at least $150 billion in dedicated investment for the U.S. shipbuilding industry with South Korea committing to spend the same amount under its trade agreement investment plan.
The document shows that allies should work together to establish trade policies which will lead partner nation shipbuilders to invest directly in the U.S. maritime industry for rebuilding and modernizing domestic industrial facilities.