Thread by @mercoglianos

1/The @USTRANSCOM_CDR and Administrator of @DOTMARAD
testified before the @HASCRepublicans & @HASCDemocrats on the current state of #Sealift & its future is bleak.

The purchase of two 24yr old ro/ros does not negate the loss of 3 LMSRs & 3 ex-MPS...

2/Even the creation of the Tanker Security Program with the intent of flagging in 10 tankers and the Maritime Security Program of 60 ships is a band-aid on the problem and does nothing to stimulate ship construction or infrastructure development.

3/The reason that the @USNavy is floundering, is the same thing that the #sealift fleet is sinking - the lack of investment in our maritime infrastructure in both military and civilian ship construction.

There are examples of 3 nations where it works.

news.usni.org/2022/03/28/fy-…

4/In Japan, the Imabari Shipyard is the largest and builds both guided missile destroyers, along with ultra large container ships.

Similarly, other shipyards, such as Mitsubishi and Kawasaki share both commercial & military constuction.

5/In Korea, Hyundai Heavy Industries similarly built not only submarines and guided missile destroyers, but LNG tankers and drillships.

By building both for commerical and military the yards are not dependent on one contract, they can utilize an economy of scale.

6/China perhaps best encapsulates this with the merger of of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) and China Shipbuilding Industry Company (CSIC) to create a new shipbuilding company. 

One can find containerships alongside China's newest carrier.

ship-technology.com/news/china-csi…

7/These three countries - China, Korea, and Japan - built 93% of the world's commercial fleets and possess modern and state of the art navies. They do this through state support, subsidies, shipyard ownership agreements and various other methods to ensure their dominance.

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