Something important is happening.
For years, maritime decline has been treated as a niche issue — something for defense insiders, shipyard executives, or Navy circles to debate quietly. That is beginning to change.
Recently, Senator Todd Young published, in American Affairs Journal a thoughtful piece arguing that rebuilding America’s maritime industrial base is essential to both economic strength and national security. He traced the issue back to the Revolution, through Mahan, and into the present-day competition with China.
That matters.
Not because of who wrote it. But because of what it signals.
Maritime Power Is Back in the Conversation
For decades, America has allowed its commercial fleet to shrink. Shipyards have closed. Skilled labor has aged out. Foreign-flagged vessels now move the overwhelming majority of our trade.
Meanwhile, China designated shipbuilding a strategic industry and built accordingly.
This is not about panic. It is about arithmetic.
Eighty percent of global trade moves by sea. Most of America’s trade does too. If we cannot build, repair, and crew ships at scale, we are strategically exposed — economically and militarily.
The encouraging sign is that leaders are once again speaking openly about maritime strength.
That is progress.
Policy Is Necessary — But Not Sufficient
Legislation like the proposed SHIPS Act is an important step. Tax incentives, regulatory reform, maritime academy modernization — these are serious proposals.
But here is the harder truth:
Industrial revival cannot be sustained by legislation alone.
Shipbuilding capacity requires:
Workforce development
Steel production
Port modernization
Cybersecurity resilience
Long-term capital investment
And, above all, public understanding
Without public buy-in, even well-crafted policy fades with political cycles.
This Is Not a Coastal Issue
One of the most overlooked truths in this debate is that maritime strength touches every American.
Indiana steel feeds shipyards.
Midwestern grain moves to global markets by sea.
Energy exports rely on tankers.
Supply chains run through ports.
Sea power is not about nostalgia. It is about jobs, commerce, resilience, and deterrence.
When ships deploy longer because the fleet is too small…
When maintenance backlogs grow…
When sealift capacity shrinks…
Those are not abstract statistics. They are signs of strain in a system Americans depend on every day.
Civic Engagement Is the Missing Ingredient
We can debate fleet numbers. We can debate funding mechanisms. We can debate industrial policy.
But unless Americans understand why this matters — and choose to participate in the conversation — nothing lasting will change.
Rebuilding sea power is not simply a government project. It is a civic project.
It requires voters who ask informed questions.
Taxpayers who demand accountability.
Educators who teach maritime history and strategy.
Industry leaders willing to invest long-term.
America’s maritime strength has always rested on the character and engagement of its people.
That spirit has not disappeared.
The conversation is shifting. That is a good sign.
Now the responsibility shifts to us.
That’s why we launched Charting the Course: Voices That Matter — a 24-part educational series breaking down how we got here, what went wrong, and what must happen next. Our goal is simple: educate the public, connect the dots, and build the support needed to close the readiness gap before it’s too late.
Let’s roll.