Why U.S. Shipbuilding Is Failing the American Merchant Marine
Trump wants to replace the new EMALS aircraft launch system on carriers with old steam systems even though steam systems are worse and would require rebuilding ships.
In the 1980s, the Reagan administration so focused on building more naval ships, that they let commercial shipbuilding move overseas, ending subsidies. Naval ship demand will go up and down and is not consistent; the base of a country’s ship building industry will need to be commercial. By allowing, and helping by ending the subsidies, US commercial shipbuilding to move overseas, the Reagen administration ultimately greatly weakened US shipbuilding capacity despite building a lot of naval ships. China has a strong industrial base for shipbuilding because they build commercial ships.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RY58Y_OZmu8