When President Trump told a joint session of Congress in March that he was creating a shipbuilding office dedicated to reviving America’s maritime industry, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle applauded. “We used to make so many ships,” Mr. Trump said. “We don’t make them anymore very much. But we’re going to make them very fast, very soon.”
After a quick, aggressive start, though, the effort appears to have stalled. Like a sailboat stuck in a flat calm, the nation’s maritime revival is adrift, needing a breeze to regain momentum. Here are some ways to get that breeze blowing, and fast.
First is seating key maritime and naval leaders who can execute the president’s plan: maritime administrator nominee Stephen Carmel and Undersecretary of the Navy nominee Hung Cao. Next up: selecting the Navy’s shipbuilder, the assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition.
They must be joined quickly by a dedicated shipping and shipbuilding team at the Department of Commerce, another effort that has stalled in recent weeks. Just as crucial is naming a maritime security adviser to the president to corral interagency efforts and connect the economic and national security imperatives for a revitalized American maritime industry.
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Such a role is, in fact, stipulated in legislation introduced in April: the Building Ships in America Act. This yearslong, bipartisan, bicameral effort can finally begin the process of America’s maritime reindustrialization.
Given the complex landscape of special interests, legacy legislation and limited maritime industrial capacity, the endeavor is unavoidably complex, but it’s urgent. World events have awakened us and our allies to the danger of an America hobbled by its maritime weakness. Take the Houthis’ impact on global shipping and on American industry during the COVID-19 pandemic emergency.
As Congress returns to work this week, it is time to regain the cadence by calling for hearings to accelerate and hold accountable delivery on the Maritime Action Plan. Certain tasks—the naming of maritime prosperity zones, the establishment of a maritime security trust fund, a shipbuilding review, etc.—should have already been completed.
Congressional leaders should set a goal to vote on proposed maritime legislation before the year’s end. The Building Ships in America Act should top the list.
Additionally, Congress has unfinished business regarding naval shipbuilding. Although the reconciliation bill and proposed presidential budgets for the next fiscal year include a combined 21% increase in naval shipbuilding spending and 19 new warships, it remains unclear whether the necessary investment can be sustained, let alone increased (as it should be).
Another critical task is to name a new public shipyard to address shortfalls in the naval nuclear maintenance capacity.
We also must revive the Coast Guard. Significant resources are clearly coming, but without political leadership at the helm ensuring that these resources are executed, the endeavor remains at risk. An elegant proposal addressing this concern is to name a secretary of the Coast Guard, not unlike that for the Navy, who can advocate for the military branch at the White House and Congress.
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Finally, securing numerous deals from our allies to join in the national maritime revival is critical, and the sooner, the better. France’s shipping giant, CMA CGM, has proposed $20 billion to reflag its ships to the U.S., South Korea’s president has pledged $150 billion in investments, with $5 billion specifically for modernizing the Hanwha Philly Shipyard in Philadelphia, and others are eyeing the opportunity to join, but they need a signal.
That signal can be sent with renewed energy from the White House to the maritime cause and by opening informal dialogues to propel future investments and coordinate maritime activities in the global maritime sector. One way is to pursue an informal, Group of Seven-like body of maritime nations before the end of the year.
Since 2021, world events, supply chain crises and the threat of having a strategically important sector dominated by our rival China have led to this unique maritime moment. Filling the vacant maritime offices, naming a new public nuclear maintenance shipyard and prioritizing maritime legislation before the end of the year are achievable goals that will spur action.
The challenge is to regain the momentum we need before this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity passes, imperiling Americans’ sustained prosperity, freedoms and security.
