President Donald J. Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth today announced the development of a new shipyard, to be called "Arsenal-2," during a ceremony at the future site in Sparrows Point, Maryland.
The project will include a $6.6 billion investment from the Navy and Anduril Industries, which will build and operate the site.
The shipyard is expected to be the largest of its kind in the United States and will be designed to produce submarines, submarine components and autonomous underwater vessels.
"Today, we're officially launching the construction of the largest new shipyard in the United States," Trump said while speaking in front of the USS Billings. "Since World War II, there's been nothing like what we're doing today."
The new shipyard, made possible by both private and public investment, will provide great value to Baltimore, the president said, especially with the number of jobs it brings.
"In a tremendous victory for our country and for the city of Baltimore, Anduril is investing $3.7 billion dollars in a state-of-the-art shipyard that will be known forever as Arsenal-2," Trump said.
The president said the shipyard will build next-generation American submarines on the site, including autonomous submarines, torpedo tubes, and critical components for the Virginia-class attack submarines. The Navy is also contributing $2.9 billion to help develop the shipyard.
"This massive project will create over 3,100 new jobs right here in Maryland and will support an additional 11,000 jobs across the nation," he said.
The president said workers at Sparrows Point will lead the way into a "golden age of shipbuilding" for the United States.
"When you come back [here] in two years, you're not going to believe what you see," he said. "Generations ago, these grounds hummed with the sound of hammers and saws carving out some of the most beautiful wooden ships. ... Now, with the men and women of Anduril, the workers of Maryland, and the warriors of the U.S. Navy ... this place will roar with the sound of high-tech manufacturing, building ships and submarines. "
Hegseth said the new shipyard will be an integral part of the arsenal of freedom initiative to rebuild the U.S. military industrial base.
"In order to make America great again, you need to make your Navy great again," Hegseth said. "You need to make shipbuilding great again, our manufacturing great again, our defense industrial base strong and robust again."
The secretary said the president has been consistent since his first day in office about what is needed from the military, and that he has worked to make that happen.
"From day one, President Trump has demanded from the War Department speed, scale and urgency to build an arsenal of freedom befitting our warriors and considering the threats of the 21st century," he said. "That's why today we're here to proudly announce construction of the largest U.S. shipyard since World War II."
In the shipyard, the president said, industrial workers of Baltimore will contribute to that arsenal of freedom for decades to come.
"With American hands, American heart and American grit, we will build the future of America's Navy right here in Baltimore, and it will be a future of peace through strength," Trump said.
Posts
