Trump slaps new drone tariffs; opens door to foreign shipyards building US warships

President Donald Trump signed two proclamations on Thursday, including one imposing new tariffs on drones and drone components and another directing the US Navy to restore older technologies on aircraft carriers while permitting limited construction of American warships at foreign shipyards. According to a White House fact sheet, the Navy memorandum directs Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to replace the Advanced Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch Systems and Advanced Weapons Elevators with traditional steam and hydraulic systems. Trump has previously criticised the use of electric catapults on US aircraft carriers and called for a return to steam-powered systems.

“Pete, we're not letting any more ships be built with the ridiculous, billions of dollars more they spent on, uh, electric catapults and they're not good. They're not nearly as good, too complex,” Trump said last month during a Defense and Innovation Summit at the Army War College. The memorandum also instructs Hegseth to establish a fifth US Naval shipyard and permits foreign shipbuilders to construct American warships on a limited basis.

The White House fact sheet said foreign shipbuilders that make significant and lasting investments in US shipyards and train American workers will temporarily be allowed to build up to two ships at their parent shipyards. Those vessels would then be delivered to help address immediate fleet gaps while additional ships are constructed at upgraded American shipyards. "As foreign shipbuilders make substantial and durable investments into America’s shipyards and train an all-American workforce for the jobs they create, they will be temporarily permitted to build up to two ships in their parent shipyards that will be delivered to bridge gaps on a quick turnaround, while additional ships will be built in revitalized American shipyards," the White House factsheet read.

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Separately, Trump signed a proclamation imposing ‘ad valorem’ tariffs on drones and drone parts, citing the national security threat associated with the technology. The new drone tariffs are scheduled to take effect 21 days after the proclamation is signed. Tariffs on drone components classified as ‘not particularly sensitive’ will take effect 180 days after signing. Under the White House fact sheet, the measures include a 100% tariff on ‘particularly sensitive’ drones and a 25% tariff on smaller drones considered to pose less pressing security concerns.

The proclamation also establishes a 15% tariff on certain drones and components from the European Union, Japan, Liechtenstein, the Republic of Korea, Switzerland and Taiwan. Some drones from the United Kingdom will face a 10% tariff. The measures mark a broader push by the Trump administration to strengthen domestic shipbuilding, alter the technology used aboard US aircraft carriers and address national security concerns surrounding drones and their supply chains.