The White House Just Published a Roadmap for America’s Shipyard Future. Here’s What It Means for the Pacific Northwest.
- Ryan Patrick Murray
- 7 days ago
- 5 min read
America’s Maritime Action Plan names Puget Sound Naval Shipyard as a national priority. For MD Electric Group, a 25-year DoD contractor operating in that shipyard’s backyard, the implications are significant—and immediate.
By MD Electric Group | February 2026
Four decommissioned aircraft carriers docked at the shipyard. From left: Independence, Kitty Hawk, Constellation and Ranger.
In February 2026, the White House released America’s Maritime Action Plan—a 37-page directive developed under Executive Order 14269, “Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance.” It is the most comprehensive federal maritime policy document in a generation, and it carries real funding mechanisms, named facilities, and specific industrial priorities.
For companies operating in the maritime electrical space—particularly those of us working in the Pacific Northwest—this isn’t a document to skim. It’s a document to study. Because the federal government just told the entire maritime industry exactly where the money, the work, and the workforce investments are going. And a significant portion of that work runs through our region.
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard: Named, Funded, Prioritized
The MAP explicitly names four public shipyards for continued recapitalization investment: Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Virginia, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine, Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard in Hawaii, and Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility in Washington. The U.S. Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore is also included.
This isn't an aspirational language. The document calls for specific infrastructure work at these facilities: adding and modernizing drydocks, upgrading pier utilities including shore power and high-capacity electrical distribution, investing in digital shipyard infrastructure, and expanding the ability of these yards to handle larger and more complex work.
For MD Electric Group, this is as direct a signal as the federal government sends. We’ve spent 25 years building our reputation as a Department of Defense electrical contractor in Washington and Alaska. Our four divisions—MD Marine Electric, MD Commercial Electric, MD Engineering, and Fail-Safe Electric—deliver precisely the kind of marine, commercial, and industrial electrical services that shipyard modernization demands. Shore power systems. High-capacity electrical distribution. Control panel manufacturing. Vessel electrical systems. This is what we do.
Electrical Infrastructure: The Backbone Nobody Talks About
Read the MAP carefully and a pattern emerges: nearly every pillar depends on electrical infrastructure that doesn’t yet exist or needs significant upgrading. You can’t modernize a drydock without upgrading the power systems that serve it. You can’t support modern combat systems and sensitive electronics without high-bandwidth electrical distribution. You can’t integrate autonomous systems, AI-driven design tools, or additive manufacturing without the control systems and power architecture underneath.
The document references pier utility upgrades, shore power installations, and electrical system modernization repeatedly—not as standalone projects, but as prerequisites for everything else the plan envisions. When the MAP calls for “automated material handling systems,” “digital shipyard infrastructure,” and “Industry 4.0 analytics,” it’s describing systems that require certified control panels, industrial electrical integration, and the kind of design-build capability that companies like ours provide through our engineering division and Fail-Safe Electric’s UL 508A certified panel shop.
This is where decades of marine electrical experience become a strategic asset, not just a trade credential. Understanding how electrical systems perform in marine environments—the corrosion, the vibration, the classification society requirements—is knowledge that can’t be acquired overnight. It’s built over thousands of vessel projects and shipyard service calls.
The Workforce Investment Is Real—and It’s Regional
Pillar II of the MAP addresses something our industry has been talking about for years: the skilled trades shortage. But the plan goes further than talk. It proposes new funding streams for Registered Apprenticeships, regional talent pipeline programs, accelerated training in defense manufacturing, and expanded community college and vocational-technical partnerships. It explicitly names electrical installation alongside welding and CNC machining as critical trade skills.
The plan also introduces the concept of Maritime Prosperity Zones—modeled on the Opportunity Zone framework—designed to channel tax-advantaged private investment into maritime communities. The eligibility criteria include maritime supply chain entities and workforce development institutions, not just shipyards. For the Puget Sound corridor, this could mean direct investment incentives for companies that train, employ, and develop the electrical workforce the industry needs.
For anyone considering a career in the maritime electrical trades, the message from the federal government is clear: this work is a national priority, the training pipeline is being funded, and the demand signal is long-term.
Procurement Reform: More Predictable, More Accessible
One of the most consequential sections of the MAP for contractors at every tier is the procurement reform language in Pillar III. The document calls for multiyear and multivessel contracting strategies, reduced change orders, performance-based contract outcomes, and expanded use of the Vessel Construction Manager model. It also references the historic FAR overhaul announced in August 2025, which aims to make it easier for agencies to leverage commercially available solutions.
For specialized contractors who’ve historically found the federal procurement process complex and resource-intensive, this represents a meaningful shift. The plan explicitly acknowledges that procurement inefficiency, burdensome contract requirements, and cost increases have been barriers to building new vessels—and by extension, barriers for the subcontractors and suppliers who support that work.
The emphasis on stable demand signals and multiyear funded purchase commitments is particularly important. One of the greatest challenges for maritime contractors has been the stop-start cycle driven by annualized appropriations. When the federal government commits to long-range demand, it enables companies to invest in equipment, training, and capacity with confidence that the work will sustain those investments.
What This Means for MD Electric Group
We’re not approaching this plan as observers. We’re approaching it as a company whose capabilities, geography, and experience align directly with the work the federal government is prioritizing.
MD Electric Group’s Alignment with MAP Priorities:
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Our past performance with naval and commercial vessels, our engineering design-build capability, our certified panel manufacturing, and our geographic position in the Puget Sound corridor make us a natural participant in the work this plan envisions. We’ve been building this capability for a quarter century—not because we saw this policy coming, but because the maritime industry has always needed it. The MAP simply validates what the work itself has always demanded.
Looking Forward
The Maritime Action Plan is not self-executing. It requires Congressional action on legislative proposals, agency implementation of procurement reforms, and sustained investment over multiple budget cycles. The document itself acknowledges that the Administration intends to transmit a legislative package following the FY 2027 President’s Budget Request.
But the direction is unmistakable. The United States is rebuilding its maritime industrial base, and it’s doing so with specific facilities, specific funding mechanisms, and specific workforce investments in mind. For the Pacific Northwest maritime community—the shipyards, the contractors, the trades workers, the suppliers—this is the most consequential federal commitment to our industry in decades.
MD Electric Group is ready for what comes next. We’ve been ready.
About MD Electric Group
MD Electric Group is a 25-year Department of Defense contractor specializing in marine, commercial, and industrial electrical services across Washington and Alaska. Operating through four divisions—MD Marine Electric, MD Commercial Electric, MD Engineering, and Fail-Safe Electric—the company delivers comprehensive electrical solutions from vessel systems to UL 508A certified control panel manufacturing.
