OPINION:
The United States is unquestionably both a great power and the world’s leader in many technologies and industries.
To our detriment, we are no longer either a world power or a world leader in commercial shipping, or in the scope of the U.S. maritime industrial base. Over the course of decades our U.S. flag merchant fleet dwindled, our ability to build commercial ships has diminished and we have ceded leadership on maritime issues to international competitors.
Great nations and nations that are sea powers must have a presence on the maritime commons beyond just their navies. The United States must be able to supply itself from the sea and it must be able to sustain its military forces when deployed overseas. Equally critical is the need for the United States to finally address the absence of an American presence throughout so much of the maritime industrial base.
America’s Maritime Action Plan released by the Trump administration in February is a comprehensive vision for the renaissance of the U.S. maritime industrial base. It creates a clear path forward for building industrial capacities, strengthening alliances with friendly nations and creating economic opportunities for Americans from the coasts to the plains.
The cornerstone of America’s Maritime Action Plan is the reinvigoration of our domestic shipbuilding capacity. The United States is unparalled in building warships. No other nation can construct military vessels of the size and complexity of those deployed by our Navy. The same cannot be said of our ability to build many classes of the most common commercial seagoing vessels. The Action Plan acknowledges that less than 1% of commercial ships operating globally were built in the United States, while laying out the measures necessary to increase that number. The president’s plan articulates specifically how attracting investment, reforming regulations, offering compelling incentives and embracing new technologies will lead to commercial ships once again being built in the United States.
Building more commercial vessels in the United States will lead to benefits beyond those found within the perimeters of updated, expanded domestic shipyards.
Building more ships will expand the number of jobs available to Americans both in yards and aboard ships. It will expand the necessity of training programs, creating opportunities for vocational and professional education from high schools to state maritime academies and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. The maritime industrial base will grow as more of the inputs necessary for building a commercial ship are manufactured in the United States. Expanded economies of scale in terms of workers, materials and expertise will allow U.S. companies to venture into related activities such as building port cranes and intermodal equipment.
The most important benefits of America’s Maritime Action Plan are those associated with national security and resilience. We are more aware than ever of how world events affect supply chains. The United States benefits from international commerce, but we must never be in a position where Americans are hostages to trade. A commercial fleet of U.S.-flagged vessels operating internationally assures we will always have an organic ability to supply ourselves and our military no matter what.
President Donald Trump has demonstrated leadership on a public policy issue that has been given too little attention for too long. I will work with the administration to implement key provisions of America’s Maritime Action Plan that are within the jurisdiction of the subcommittee of which I chair. Further, I will be holding the Coast Guard and the Maritime Administration accountable to act where they can without legislation that will achieve the goals articulated by President Trump.
While shipbuilding is an economic engine for my congressional district and state, it is also a major part of the economy in numerous other areas of the U.S., plus wide-ranging downstream benefits to even more parts of the country. America’s Maritime Action Plan represents a unique opportunity for decisive action that will not only improve U.S. competitiveness, and National security, but the economic wellbeing of so many of our fellow citizens. This is a chance not to be wasted because the benefits are far too great. Join me in supporting the president’s vision for America’s maritime renaissance.
• Rep. Mike Ezell represents Mississippi’s Fourth Congressional District, which includes the Mississippi Gulf Coast and parts of the Pine Belt. He serves as chairman of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, where he works to strengthen national security, support maritime industries, and enhance coastal resilience.
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