Executives from Hyundai Heavy Industries and Huntington Ingalls Industries pose after signing a memorandum of agreement at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Gyeongju, South Korea, Oct. 26, 2025. (Huntington Ingalls Industries)
The largest U.S. and South Korean shipbuilders recently announced a joint military and commercial shipbuilding and maintenance strategy, a milestone for the United States as it seeks to expand its maritime footprint in the Indo-Pacific.
Huntington Ingalls Industries and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries signed the agreement during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, which is slated to conclude Nov. 1 in Gyeongju, South Korea.
President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the summit.
Huntington Ingalls, of Newport News, Va., and HD Hyundai, headquartered in Ulsan, South Korea, also teamed up in early October to pursue a contract to design the U.S. Navy’s Next Generation Logistics Ship, or NGLS, according to a Sunday news release from Huntington Ingalls.
Like existing logistics ships, the NGLS will “enable refueling, rearming and resupply” of Navy and Marine Corps ships, but the Navy favors a smaller, all-in-one design, according to the Navy’s contract solicitation.
Under the expanded agreement, Huntington and Hyundai plan to explore joint investments, boost regional ship maintenance capacity, pursue auxiliary shipbuilding programs and collaborate on engineering, research and development, according to the release.
It follows South Korea’s vow to invest $150 billion in U.S. shipbuilding projects, part of a broader $350 investment pledge made in July by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, Reuters reported on Aug. 27.
“This marks the beginning of deeper collaboration between not only our companies, but each of our countries, that will support enduring changes to military and commercial shipbuilding in America,” Eric Chewning, Huntington Ingalls executive vice president of maritime systems and corporate strategy, said in the release.
The expansion of U.S. shipbuilding, domestically and internationally, is a top priority under Navy Secretary John Phelan, who visited Hanwha Ocean Shipbuilding and HD Hyundai’s shipyards during an April tour of East Asia.
Phelan also toured Japan Marine United’s Isogo Works shipyard in Yokohama and met with top Japanese defense officials to discuss potential joint ventures.
His priority was improving readiness for the fleet and “being able to repair ships here obviously improves readiness,” he told Stars in Stripes while in Japan.