Trump announces plan to expand submarine manufacturing

President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday a public-private investment plan of six and a half billion dollars (5.9 billion euros) to expand the United States' submarine manufacturing capacity. In the midst of the campaign for the November 3 legislative elections, in which Republicans are vying to maintain a majority in Congress, Trump traveled to the port of Baltimore to present the project, without the presence of the governor of Maryland, Democrat Wes Moore, whose office stated that he was prevented from speaking. "Today we officially begin the construction of the largest naval shipyard in the United States since World War II. There has never been anything like what we are doing today," Trump declared to hundreds of members of the Navy with a warship in the background. The plan prévoit that the defense company Anduril Industries will invest three and a half billion dollars (3.3 billion euros) in the construction of the Arsenal-2, a shipyard equipped with advanced technology at the Tradepoint Atlantic logistics center. The United States Navy will complement this investment with a contract awarded to Anduril worth two and a half billion dollars (2.6 billion euros), bringing the total amount to six and a half billion dollars. The facilities will manufacture essential components for the nuclear-powered Virginia-class submarines, whose assembly is carried out in other shipyards. Since his return to the White House, Trump has proposed revitalizing the naval shipyard industry, both for civilian and military projects. China, the world's largest naval constructor, already has more military vessels than the United States, although the North American naval forces still maintain a greater tonnage in operation than their Asian rival.