CaliToday (30/10/2025): In a landmark announcement, President Trump reveals South Korea will build its advanced nuclear-powered fleet on U.S. soil, a move hailed as a massive win for the "America First" agenda and a strategic counter to China.
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| The South Korean Navy's Dosan Ahn Chang-ho submarine. (Source: Yonhap) |
In a momentous announcement posted to Truth Social, President Donald J. Trump has declared that South Korea will construct its new fleet of nuclear-powered submarines at the Philadelphia shipyard, a move that marks a profound shift in U.S. industrial and defense policy.
"Our shipbuilding industry is soon going to have a GREAT COMEBACK. Just watch!" the President wrote, heralding the deal as a turning point for American manufacturing.
The decision is being seen as a watershed moment for both U.S.-South Korean defense cooperation and the revitalization of America's heavy industrial base, which has been weakened by decades of outsourcing.
A Win for "America First" and U.S. Jobs
The deal is the clearest expression yet of President Trump's "America First" foreign policy, which combines strengthening strategic alliances with a non-negotiable demand to prioritize American production and jobs.
By choosing to build its most advanced military assets on U.S. soil, South Korea is directly investing in the American workforce. The move is expected to:
Create Thousands of Jobs: The construction of sophisticated nuclear submarines is a labor-intensive process that will create thousands of high-skilled, high-paying jobs at the Philadelphia shipyard.
Revitalize a Key Industry: It signals a powerful renaissance for U.S. shipbuilding, demonstrating a new model where allies contribute to America's industrial might, not just its defense umbrella.
Reverse Outsourcing: The administration is framing this as a direct reversal of past trends that saw American industrial capacity hollowed out.
A Powerful Strategic Message to China
By anchoring South Korea's nuclear submarine program in the United States, the alliance is:
Enhancing Strategic Deterrence: It ensures interoperability and U.S. technological oversight, deeply integrating South Korea into the U.S. strategic posture in the Pacific.
Consolidating Alliances: It strengthens the U.S. position in the region, showcasing its ability to lead in defense technology while also delivering tangible economic benefits to its own citizens.
Analysts are calling this a definitive achievement for the Trump administration. It confirms that the U.S. is not only reasserting its leadership in defense technology but is also reclaiming the industrial superiority that has long been a symbol of its national power.