U.S. Naval Shipbuilding Capacity: Is There Enough And What Can Be Done To Improve?

Abstract

The primary research question that this thesis answers is: What does the Navy need to do to expand the nation’s shipbuilding capabilities to fulfill the Navy’s 30-year shipbuilding plan? In our research, we applied a mixed-method design approach to ascertain the production capacity for two of the nation’s largest shipbuilders. By exploring the shipbuilding industry’s consolidation trends and acquisition process, the authors were able to identify design specific production issues from the data and provide recommendations based on the application of supply chain principles.