We all know the Jones Act is a disaster and domestic protectionism is bottlenecking our heavy infrastructure. But while politicians argue about tariffs, actual capital is bypassing the gridlock through friendshoring. This isn't some think-tank wishlist. It’s capital deploying right now:
Shipyards: Our Naval MRO capacity is struggling, so Hanwha just bought Philly Shipyard for $100M to fix U.S. ships domestically.
Next-Gen Nuclear: American SMR startups have the IP, but SK (dropped $250M in TerraPower) and Doosan are the ones physically forging the heavy reactors.
Texas Grid: ERCOT needs massive power for new AI fabs. Korean energy firms are stepping in and building utility-scale ESS to stabilize it.
TL;DR: You don't have to build everything in-house when you have highly industrialized allies. Free trade actually gets infrastructure built. Curious what you guys think about leaning even harder into allied heavy industry to fix the U.S. infrastructure deficit.
Posted by Emergency_Suspect250
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This infographic visualizes ongoing U.S.-ROK “friendshoring” projects in heavy industry to bypass domestic bottlenecks like the Jones Act. Rather than protectionism, it highlights billions in South Korean capital already deploying on U.S. soil—from Hanwha acquiring Philly Shipyard ($100M) for Naval MRO to SK ($250M) and Doosan scaling American next-gen nuclear reactors. Free trade and allied capacity remain essential to rebuilding the physical Arsenal of Democracy.