Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 1:04:25-1:05:03

Why reviving the Dallinger amendment would require public yards

Requiring half of naval construction to use government yards would first demand a costly programme to rebuild public shipbuilding capacity, staff it, and choose locations.

Naval Industrial CapacityNaval ProcurementShipyardsUS Navy
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Question

Should a Dallinger-style rule requiring half of U.S. warships to be built in navy yards be revived?

Short answer

Only after accounting for the large cost of rebuilding, locating, staffing, and operating public shipyards.

Notes

The Dallinger amendment sought to divide naval construction between government and private yards. Applying that model today would not begin with simply reallocating contracts, because the United States Navy no longer has equivalent public shipbuilding capacity ready to use. New or restored yards would have to be located, built, equipped, staffed, and managed. Those first- and second-order costs make the policy's modern effects much more complicated than its headline procurement split.