<h1>U.S. lawmakers weigh partnerships with South Korean and Japanese shipbuilders to boost noncombatant shipbuilding and repair capacity</h1> U.S. lawmakers are exploring partnerships with South Korean and Japanese shipbuilders to expand U.S. noncombatant shipbuilding and repair capacity, including potential joint ventures, foreign investment in domestic yards, and regional repair agreements, to address aging fleets and capacity shortfalls versus China. The initiative implicates federal procurement and defense industrial base policy, potential foreign direct investment approvals, trade and tariff negotiations, and the Pentagon's proposed shipbuilding budget. Existing repair contracts and recent foreign acquisitions of U.S. shipyards signal practical precedents; proposed large-scale foreign investment has been raised in parallel with trade discussions.