A United States naval ship that serves as a floating base completed an overhaul in Japan, marking the first time a Japanese shipyard performed such maintenance for the ally’s navy.
This alliance milestone comes as U.S. Secretary of the Navy John Phelan’s visit to Japan earlier this week, who suggested that the American treaty ally could help Washington counter China’s rapid naval buildup by building ships for civilian and military uses.
Newsweek reached out to the Chinese Defense Ministry via email for comment.
Why It Matters
China is seeking to challenge America’s naval dominance with the largest navy in the world by hull count. An expert previously explained to Newsweek that China has conducted “very significant” infrastructure construction programs, supporting the expansion of its warship fleet.
A Newsweek map shows that the U.S. Navy has only four active public shipyards, while China has 307 shipyards, with 35 sites having known ties to military or national security projects. President Donald Trump has vowed to increase U.S. shipbuilding to compete with China.
What To Know
The U.S. expeditionary mobile base USS Miguel Keith on April 15 completed a five-month regular overhaul at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Yokohama, Japan, the U.S. Naval Ship Repair Facility and Japan Regional Maintenance Center (SRF-JRMC) said on Thursday.
The 787-foot-long Miguel Keith, which has been stationed in the Seventh Fleet’s operating area—the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans—since 2020, can launch helicopters and small boats, provide living quarters for troops and operate command-and-control facilities.
Captain Wendel Penetrante, commander of the SRF-JRMC, explained that using the Japanese shipyard for repair has allowed the SRF-JRMC to focus its efforts on the three other warship maintenance availabilities being conducted simultaneously in Yokosuka.
“We were even able to complete one of those availabilities [three] days early and respond to two unplanned voyage repairs,” the commander said. The SRF-JRMC provides intermediate- and depot-level repair in support of American naval operations in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Miguel Keith became the second American naval vessel to complete an overhaul at a foreign shipyard in the Western Pacific Ocean after the dry cargo ship USNS Wally Schirra concluded its overhaul by South Korea’s shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean on March 12.
During the overhaul at the Japanese shipyard, the Miguel Keith replaced 56,000 square feet of decking on its flight deck and mission deck, completed deck replacement and preservation in 29 spaces aboard, and painted its entire exterior from bow to stern, the press release said.
USS Miguel Keith (ESB-5) Lewis B. Puller-class expeditionary mobile base in Yokohama, Japan – March 23, 2025 #ussmiguelkeith #esb5SRC: TW-@Ocoge_Camera pic.twitter.com/ND6CRU6gBM
— WarshipCam (@WarshipCam) March 23, 2025
What People Are Saying
The U.S. Navy said: “Charged with expanding and revitalizing U.S. naval shipbuilding, the [Secretary of the Navy John Phelan] toured Japan Marine United (JMU) to understand industry best practices and encourage investment in American shipyards, reinforcing President Trump’s America First agenda.”
U.S. Secretary of the Navy John Phelan said in an interview with Nikkei Asia: “One of the things I’ve noticed studying the Chinese navy and the Chinese shipbuilding industry is they design their commercial ships with a military application in mind.”
The Center for Strategic and International Studies reported: “China’s lead in the global commercial shipbuilding market is huge and growing…Through its ‘military-civil fusion’ strategy, China has integrated commercial and military production at many of its shipyards, giving its People’s Liberation Army Navy access to infrastructure, investment, and intellectual property acquired from commercial contracts.”
What Happens Next
The U.S. is likely to arrange for additional naval ships to undergo overhaul at shipyards owned by Japan and South Korea during their deployments in the Indo-Pacific region. Maintenance in theater would reduce downtime and costs, enhancing the U.S. Navy’s readiness.
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