The Senate Armed Services Committee's markup of the Fiscal Year 2027 defense policy bill aims to limit the president's authority to approve offshore ship construction. The proposed legislation would allow the defense secretary to arrange for the construction of up to two vessels per class in an allied foreign shipyard, with certain stipulations.
The move comes after the Trump administration's push to buy foreign-built warships, with the goal of increasing the number of ships in the US Navy. The service aims to have 395 vessels in fiscal 2027 and 450 vessels by the end of fiscal 2031.
The proposed legislation includes requirements for the protection of classified information and the installation of critical mission systems in the US or a secure allied facility.
