Maritime (Formerly Shipbuilding, Maritime Domain, Sea Domain) –
“The strategic environment continues to be more dynamic, increasing in its uncertainty and sophistication. The proliferation of modern technologies, along with the erosion of the competitive advantage in areas where we have long enjoyed relative superiority, contest our ability to influence and create a great range of challenges for a globally responsive force.”
Honorable James F. Geurts, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition.
The United States has long enjoyed the freedom to dominate oceans around the world. This advantage has enabled the United States to transport goods in support of national security initiatives, but not without challenges. The U.S. military strategy relies on American sealift capabilities to transport military troops and material abroad in support of contingency operations. The fundamental components are shipbuilding and sustainment in support of both the American economy and global trade in times of peace and military operations in times of war.
Throughout history, diplomacy and trade between nations have relied on a merchant fleet to ensure trade. Vital to economic well-being, nations ratified various practices to encourage the growth and sustainment of national merchant marines. These practices have included “subsidies, cargo preference schemes, tax advantages, low-interest loans, and loan guarantees, as well as laws reserving certain subsidies and cargoes to domestically constructed ships.” The United States continues to struggle with the adoption of new policies and initiatives to reform the maritime industry in support of military readiness, surge, and mobilization requirements to execute the NSS. This paper will focus on four aspects of the maritime industry: current status of American shipbuilding, absence of resource investments in human capital, observations of domestic/international infrastructure, and the lack of readiness/sustainment. The problem we are trying to resolve: What policies should the USG implement to ensure sea/maritime capabilities necessary to support U.S. National Security? The ultimate goal of this paper is to sustain the current Naval force structure, leverage global resources, and invest in the future. These goals enable the U.S. to identify potential policies that address the current concerns faced in the sea domain.
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