Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wis., chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security, the Border and Foreign Affairs, held a hearing May 11 to discuss the current state of U.S. shipbuilding capabilities in comparison to China.
The Strengthening the Fleet: Challenges and Solutions in Naval Surface Ship Construction hearing featured Rear Admiral Thomas J. Anderson and Rear Admiral Casey Moton as witnesses, according to a May 4 House Oversight Committee news release.
“We must continue to investigate the ties the CCP has to the U.S. military. I have been sounding the alarm for months! Looking forward to joining my colleagues on @GOPoversight this Thursday,” Rep. Neal Dunn, a member of the House Select Committee on the CCP, said in a May 8 Twitter post.
U.S. Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said China’s navy has a number of advantages over the U.S. Navy, according to a February CNN report. One such advantage is the sheer quantity of ships, with China possessing around 340 ships while the U.S. has fewer than 300.
Also, China has demonstrated the ability to produce more ships at a faster pace than the U.S., which means that the projected number of ships under China’s possession is expected to increase significantly in the future, according to CNN.
Congressman Neal Dunn, R-Fla., is leading an investigation into the connection between Austal, a foreign shipbuilding company that secured a $3.3 billion contract to build U.S. Coast Guard offshore patrol cutters, according to a February news release from his office. Austal was chosen over Eastern Shipbuilding Group in Panama City.
The investigation focuses on finding out the relationship between the Chinese Communist Party and Austal, which could pose a risk to national security, his release said.
“According to senior leadership within the Navy, China currently has a massive advantage on the United States operationally when it comes to shipbuilding," Grothman said, according to the House Oversight Committee release. “Given the astronomical amount of U.S. taxpayer funding put toward this effort, that is unacceptable.”
Grothman said the American people need assurances on three fronts, the release reported. Assurances include that the U.S. competes on par with China and other foreign adversaries in the production of ships; that taxpayer dollars for shipbuilding are used without waste and efficiently; and that qualified workers and materials required for this effort are readily available.
“It is alarming that a company that has won multiple defense and homeland security contracts has close ties to the CCP. This is a national security threat and deserves more attention than it is getting,” Dunn said in his release.
