Five Problems That Could Torpedo America’s Naval Shipbuilding Capability (From Forbes)

The U.S. Navy’s shipbuilders are currently awash in business thanks to a sizable increase in the Pentagon budget under President Trump. However, defense buildups typically don’t last long, whereas some of the the naval shipbuilding sector’s problems have been chronic for decades. An inter-agency task force last year identified five such problems: unstable demand, capacity shortfalls, lack of workforce skills, sole-source suppliers, and lack of competition. All of these problems are traceable in varying degrees to peculiarities of Washington’s political culture. I have written a commentary for Forbes here.