The Navy Is Gearing Up to Fight Its Greatest Enemy—and It’s Not Who You’d Think

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The US Navy is planning to convene a conference in San Diego this summer to discuss its most dangerous adversary: rust.

In June, the American Society of Naval Engineers will hold a seminar that looks at potentially one of the greatest threats to the United States Navy—and, for that matter, all the navies of the world.

That threat isn’t sea mines, land-based anti-ship missiles, or even nuclear-powered submarines. Those threats are all real and need to be taken seriously, of course. However, there is a single, far more debilitating threat, and one that American sailors ignore at their peril.

Rust: The Worst Four-Letter Word in the US Navy

The greatest threat to the US Navy is rust—the constant corrosion of steel hulls upon contact with water, a problem that has bedeviled seamen for centuries.

“Corrosion is a major factor in the readiness and total ownership cost of naval systems and this conference is intended to provide updated information on programs, policies, standards and Fleet experience related to corrosion and to promote discussion and sharing of information on technologies and strategies for controlling corrosion,” the American Society of Naval Engineers explained, promoting the upcoming “MegaRust” conference in San Diego.

“MegaRust” is a name that sounds like an anime villain, but the issue is very serious. It has become such a problem for the Navy that it even drew attention—and public criticism—from President Donald Trump last year.

In April 2025, Trump reportedly gave then-Secretary of the Navy John Phelan a direct order to “fix the damn rust” conspicuously covering many Navy ships. The reality TV star-turned-president is well-known for his close attention to appearances, but the nature of the order seemed to suggest he didn’t quite understand that rust isn’t something that can........

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