Words matter, let's understand the difference between Maritime and Naval. Maritime is the totality of the Nation State's involvement in the Ocean Domain, the Navy is a small subset of the larger issue
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President Trump has emphasized the need to return to a renaissance of maritime affairs for the United States.
Words matter and two words have continually tripped up the “experts” for decades and ensured a gridlock of debate ensues which ensures nothing happens.
“Maritime” is the sum totality of a nation state’s involvement in the domain of the Sea. This means influence, standards, policies, rule making, merchant companies involved in ocean borne trade (which is like 90% plus by weight of goods moved), shipping lines, crewing of vessels, the industrial base to build and maintain, and so on, and then comes the Naval and Coast Guard elements.
“Naval” are the Navy and semi-military forces to assert nation state sovereignty and national interests. In the chicken or egg debate, a great Navy depends and derives from a dominant “Maritime” attitude and influence, not the other way around.
The U.S. is the largest economy in the world yet has the smallest maritime presence in the world. This is a non-sequitur; being the largest economy in the world, the U.S. should have the largest maritime presence in the world.
Right now, after the experts staring at the problem for decades, America is almost a non-entity in the world maritime environment, hence the atrophied state of a dying U.S. Navy.
The key White House actions to take to resurrect the Maritime presence of America in the Golden Age are the following:
- United Nation’s International Maritime Organization (IMO): The U.S. is essentially a backseater at best in the IMO. The Chinese dominate this organization. Yes we love to hate the UN and yes the UN should be dissolved and started over, but Step 1 is for the U.S. to become the dominant seat at the IMO.
- Targeted Capital Gains cuts: I am a career national security guy, but I learned long ago, if you want to make things happen in the economy, it’s all about targeted Capital Gains Cuts. Investment dollars pivot toward growth, Capital Gains cuts create growth.
- Targeted Corporate Tax Cuts: Similar to Cap Gains Cuts, are targeted Corporate Tax Cuts. Incentivize the foundational elements of the economy.
- Creating a Modern Industrial Base with Government Guaranteed Loans: Germany makes cruise ships far larger than aircraft carriers, indoors, at 1/7 the cost. The sum entirety of American commercial, large ship production depends on two yards that are antiquated. Never throw Government money directly at the problem - if necessary to spur the industrial base, use Government Guaranteed Loans with performance incentives, accountability, and transparency. A possible variant is a Government Owned, Contractor Operated, ultra-modern shipyard, one on each coast and also the Gulf of America.
- Partner with Trusted Nations that know how to do this: The Japanese Auto Industry saved the American Auto Industry in the 1970s. We should embrace this model with the largest, most advanced shipbuilders in the world which are South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan (China is the largest, but they are trying to destroy America). If it means they build large assemblies overseas and we do final integration and fitting here under their supervision, let’s do this. Boeing has had problems, but for years, the Boeing Aircraft model of world sourcing, final assembly in Everett and Renton worked.
- U.S. Flag/U.S. Crews: We need to be creative legislatively and administratively and incentivize the U.S. Flagging of American owned shipping. Not to create more H-1B rancor (H-1B has been abused horribly), but the Filipinos are dominant in world crewing of merchant vessels and some form of special status to Filipino mariners should be considered. The U.S. and the Philippines have an historical, close relationship. They have a high level of English language proficiency, let’s harness this situation in creative ways until we build more crews from the U.S.
- Autonomy and AI: The future of efficient ocean shipping is autonomy. This will drive down crewing costs. Safety and reliability is needed for operations and scheduling. Autonomy and AI is the future. When the harbor pilot steps off that vessel on its departure, the uncrewed merchant vessel can move safely and efficiently without a crew onboard until the harbor pilot at the receiving port steps on board.
- Small Modular Reactors (SMR) for ships: A logical use of the SMR are merchant vessels - as we build up capacity of SMRs to support data centers, SMRs afloat are the wave of the future.
President Trump and the Administration rightly see Maritime dominance as foundational to the Golden Age. We need leaders to address this with alacrity and innovation - not throw money at the problem with solutions that haven’t worked for 50 years or more. Get the Maritime Domain in order and the U.S. Navy will heal and grow itself.
