US–ROK Shipbuilding Cooperation: Taking Stock and Charting the Next Steps​

Panel
October 27, 2026

Matthew Reisener

As the United States works to rebuild its shipbuilding capacity amid competition with China, allied partnerships have moved to the center of the conversation. This event examines how the U.S. and South Korea can turn shared interest into lasting industrial cooperation.
The first panel brings together senior representatives from the private sector. Panelists will review the achievements, technology-sharing arrangements, maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) partnerships, and workforce initiatives already underway as well as discuss any regulatory issues that needs to be addressed. They will offer a candid assessment of what has worked, what remains unresolved, and where near-term opportunities lie.
The second panel turns to policy experts to consider what comes next now that the President’s latest memorandum has opened the door to both foreign and domestic shipbuilding. They will identify the regulatory, workforce, and financial reforms needed to expand commercial and naval construction, and recommend how allies such as South Korea and Japan can help realize the full promise of allied shipbuilding cooperation. They will also sketch what success could look like a decade from now.

Matthew Reisener, Senior National Security Advisor

Matthew Reisener

Senior National Security Advisor