The Future of American Shipbuilding
The Navy is betting on new entrants to fix American shipbuilding. Will it work?
Companies like Anduril, Hadrian and Palantir are pushing into a sector long dominated by legacy yards, and the debate over whether they can deliver is heating up. Join Abelian Security Council for a candid fireside chat on where American shipbuilding goes from here.
On the table
Conviction or necessity: why the Navy is turning to new entrants, and what it means for the legacy yards
Roughly $10B has gone into the submarine industrial base. Where did it go, and is it working?
Manned vs. unmanned: how settled is the future fleet, really?
Speaker
Whitney Jones is the former Deputy Program Manager of the Navy’s Maritime Industrial Base program, where she helped oversee a multi-billion dollar portfolio spanning supply chain, workforce, and manufacturing from September 2024 to September 2025. She previously led the Navy’s Submarine Industrial Base office within the Program Executive Office for Strategic Submarines (PEO SSBN) from February 2022 to May 2025, directing industrial base strategy in support of the COLUMBIA Class program, the Navy’s top acquisition priority.
Earlier roles include COLUMBIA Class strategic communications at Amentum (2020 to 2022), Deputy Director of the Naval Sea Systems Command Shipbuilding Industrial Base Task Force with DELTA Resources (2019 to 2020), and business development leadership at Northrop Grumman Maritime Systems (2017 to 2018).
Whitney’s foundation was built over nearly seven years at Naval Sea Systems Command (2010 to 2017), including serving as Director of Operations for the DDG 1000 Zumwalt destroyer program and Contracting Officer’s Representative roles managing a $200 million to $300 million annual portfolio serving more than 50 foreign navies.
Moderator
Owen Davies, CEO of the ASC
Submit questions for Whitney when you register and no later than Thursday, October 29. We'll do our best to make sure submitted questions are answered, but we can't guarantee every question will be covered.
Good to know
Admission is subject to pre-qualification criteria.
Tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable.
A recording and transcript will not be available after the event.
Attendees remain anonymous, and the session is held under the Chatham House rule.
The speaker does not represent any political administration or the U.S. military.