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Texas is a magnet for complex, critical manufacturing, says Gov. Greg Abbott, and the latest announcements appear to confirm growing interest in the state as a marine defence spending hub.

As reported by the Daily Commercial News in July 2025, Chantier Davie Canada Inc., Canada’s largest shipbuilder, has acquired Gulf Copper & Manufacturing Corporation’s shipbuilding assets in Galveston and Port Arthur, Texas. Davie the closing of the deal on Dec. 2, 2025.

“This acquisition confirms Davie Defense as a permanent part of the United States shipbuilding industry,” Davie said in its announcement. “We are proud to be an American shipbuilder, and the new Texas facilities which have over 350 existing employees will be key to expanding our U.S. operations.”��

Building arctic icebreakers will be the focus of Davie’s investment in Texas. More than 2,400 new jobs and $730 million in capital investment for added capacity are expected. As a result, a Texas Enterprise Fund (TEF) grant of $21.7 million has been extended to Davie Defense.

“This historic investment in Texas will help promote American manufacturing, reindustrialization and the nation’s warfighting readiness by building complex vessels for government and commercial clients,” said Abbott.

Increased marine defence spending was the focus of an�� signed by President Donald Trump in early 2025, titled Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance. The president’s order said U.S. commercial shipbuilding capacity and maritime workforce had been, “weakened by decades of government neglect, which was empowering American adversaries and eroding the country’s national security.”

Even more interest and excitement has been generated by the recent news that Austin-based defense tech start-up Saronic Technologies Inc. is considering a location in Brownsville, Cameron County, for a major investment in drone boats for the U.S. military. Cameron County, near the Mexican border, is best known as the home of Starbase, the primary production, testing and launch site for SpaceX’s Starship vehicles.

Saronic is said to be one of the fastest-growing start-ups in Austin with an estimated valuation of $4 billion, including $600 million series C funding raised last year. In December, Saronic it had been awarded a $392 million contract to build a fleet of “Corsairs” for the U.S. Navy to enhance surveillance and defense, with nearly $200 million immediately put on contract. The is a modular 24-foot Autonomous Surface Vessel capable of carrying a 1,000-pound payload over 1,000 nautical miles, and reaching speeds of over 35 knots.

“We are proud to partner with the U.S. Navy to rapidly field advanced autonomous maritime capabilities,” the company said. “We approached the navy with a proven capability and found a partner committed to testing, adopting and procuring new technologies at scale. Because we have invested heavily in our own production infrastructure and capacity, we can deliver these new capabilities at the speed and quantity the mission requires.”

Details of Saronic’s proposed facility were contained in its for “Project Hercules” made in mid-February under the state’s Jobs,��Energy,��Technology and Innovation��Act (JETI). ��

“Development is planned in phases, allowing capacity, automation and workforce levels to scale in alignment with market demand and program requirements,” Saronic’s application .

The four phases of Project Hercules are proposed to spread over a 400-acre site representing a total investment of $3.25 billion. The company says a total of 10,000 jobs will be created. Phase one would start construction this year and start operations in 2027. It would include the construction of facilities for “steel fabrication and welding, the assembly of panels, sub-assemblies and large structural blocks, and hull erection and integration.” Phases two to four would be completed by 2034.

Property taxes are higher in Texas than in many other states, causing Saronic to reportedly submit applications to Cameron County�� on its proposed site, a request that will be considered at a scheduled for late March.

However, Brownsville has competition. Saronic says it is considering other locations around the country for its proposed facility, including the Bay Area of San Francisco. The company also already owns a 100-acre shipyard in Louisiana.

Cameron County officials are cautiously optimistic they can land this exciting high-tech defence project. The Port of Brownsville in a statement that although confidentiality agreements prevent the release of specific details, it is actively positioning the region to successfully compete for projects at this level and scale as part of the Port of Brownsville’s core mission to attract transformative investment, create good-paying jobs and expand economic opportunity.