There’s a well-known problem in the United States Navy regarding its capacity to manufacture new ships. Despite this, the U.S. Navy remains the most powerful blue-water navy in the world, and it boasts more aircraft carriers than any other nation. Still, that doesn’t mean that the Navy isn’t challenged, as many near-peer nations work to shore up their navies with as many vessels as possible.

You may think China and Russia would be the two countries working to pull ahead of the U.S. in that regard. That is certainly true, but another country is currently outpacing the U.S. in its production of one particular type of warship. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, known as North Korea to the rest of the world, is currently outpacing the U.S. shipping industry in the production of destroyers. 

North Korea managed to produce two ocean-going destroyers in 2025, with plans to launch two more each year through 2030. The U.S., on the other hand, trails with the production of 1.5 modernized Arleigh Burke-class destroyers per year. The goal is to produce three, but current shipbuilding capabilities aren’t able to keep up with that demand. While North Korea has nowhere near as many destroyers as the U.S. and is far from catching up, the nation’s ability to produce them more rapidly is notable.

Previously, North Korea has been a localized threat, lacking a blue-water navy, meaning it couldn’t operate across oceans. With its surface ship fleet expanding, that could become a limitation of the past. In 2025, North Korea launched two Choe Hyon-class destroyers, which each boast 74 vertical launch cells. They’re smaller than Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, which feature 96 launch tubes, but they’re nonetheless capable of launching numerous missiles.

Future destroyers are supposed to be larger and built without guns to create more space for vertical launch tubes. North Korea appears to be planning on arming its destroyers with nuclear missiles as well, similar to the nuclear ammunitions carried on aircraft carriers. Defense analysts in the West are certainly taking note of North Korea’s increased production, as the nation could elevate tensions in the South China Sea and elsewhere in the Pacific region. 

As of this writing, the U.S. Navy had a fleet of 75 operational destroyers, which is significantly more than North Korea’s two. Without improving shipbuilding and maintenance, however, it’s possible that the Navy could fall behind as other nations scramble to catch up. This makes North Korea’s achievement all the more concerning in the West.