Opinion: US Navy Fleet Modernization Needs Distributed Manufacturing and Commonality

By ASR Newsdesk · 26 Oct 2026, 21:00 UTC

An opinion piece by George Whittier, CEO of Fairbanks Morse Defense, proposes that the US Navy can address fleet challenges through distributed manufacturing and commonality of parts. The author suggests leveraging a geographically diverse supplier base and original equipment manufacturers to deliver complete assemblies for final shipyard assembly, aiming to increase production speed and scale. This approach would utilize underutilized industrial capacity and address labor shortages by tapping into a wider talent pool. The piece also emphasizes the importance of standardized designs to enable economies of scale and predictable demand for suppliers, drawing parallels with shipbuilding practices in Japan and South Korea, and the automotive sector.