Posted on June 29, 2026
Sen. Tim Sheehy warned that a crisis in American shipbuilding has left the United States dangerously outpaced by an aggressively expanding Chinese fleet.
Speaking on “The Fox News Rundown” podcast, the former Navy SEAL said China is now constructing ships much faster than the U.S., creating a national security problem.
“Our Navy right now is not where it needs to be,” Sheehy told Fox News’ Aishah Hasnie.
“Right now, our fleet, when you compare us to China, they build ships 230 times faster than we do. Their shipyards can turn around repairs 90% faster than we can.”
Sheehy blamed the slowdown on the country becoming complacent during a prolonged period of peace, arguing the U.S. wasn’t prepared for future conflicts. He warned that while a depleted Army can be fixed in just one to two years, rebuilding the Navy’s industrial base is a much deeper, longer-term problem.
