We Need a Maritime Revival

The Heritage Foundation's annual Military Strength Index evaluates the capability, capacity, and readiness of individual countries' military power. Its recent analysis of US naval power provides America with a grim outlook if we don't change quickly.

Our Navy is critical to national security. Yet, we allowed our shipbuilding prowess to fall behind foreign adversaries such as China for decades. Basic production components like steel lack domestic industry support to match or exceed our adversaries'.

Worse, we have remained stagnant while jettisoning over $1.5 trillion in industry muscle, materials, and more. This put our domestic maritime and shipbuilding industry on life support.

While this diagnosis may seem fatal, a remedy is on the horizon.

Legislation originally introduced by former Representative, UN Ambassador, Mike Waltz is back in the conversation in Congress. The SHIPS for America Act (H.R.3151/S.1541) is an in-depth and comprehensive bill addressing numerous facets of the US's shipbuilding industry.

It creates infrastructure to adapt and grow our nation's shipbuilding capacity and a self-sustaining Maritime Trust Fund for the industry's overall funding.

A great deal of the SHIPS for America Act was portioned into the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) through a House amendment. However, portions of the bill were sectioned into a separate piece of legislation titled the Shipbuilding Investment and Workforce Act (H.R.9911).

From the Shipbuilding Investment and Workforce Act, we can craft Maritime Prosperity Opportunity Zones (MPZ), modeled after Trump's successful 2017 Opportunity Zones program, to better bridge the private sector and maritime industrial communities. Strong private sector support is the backbone the maritime industry needs to thrive.

Now, the included portions of the SHIPS for America Act ship off to the Senate, and the Shipbuilding Investment and Workforce Act goes to consideration by the House Ways and Means Committee.

Any end of the year NDAA package would be incomplete without addressing shipbuilding as a key national security need.

Take Action: Urge your Senators to PASS these bills into the finalized NDAA and bring with them an age of American Maritime Revival!