Op-Ed: How the SHIPS for America Act can restore U.S. maritime leadership

Sen. Mark Kelly

By Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.)

Flanked by two oceans, the United States has always been a maritime nation. Our dominance over the oceans was a key factor in establishing the U.S. as the most powerful nation on Earth. My family has lived this. Both of my grandfathers were seafarers during World War II. One sailed on a Liberty ship in the Atlantic and the other one with the Navy in the Pacific. Their example was an inspiration to me that led me to attend the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and join the Navy.

But America’s maritime leadership has been dangerously declining over that time, allowing China not only to catch up, but get ahead. Today, there are 80 U.S.-flagged vessels in international commerce; China has 5,500.

The United States no longer builds enough oceangoing merchant ships. And it’s far too expensive to operate a ship under a U.S. flag. This forces American businesses to rely on Chinese shipping companies, raising costs for them and their products, and giving China the ability to shut our economy if they chose to do so. It also leaves us without a merchant fleet to call upon should we find ourselves in conflict.

That’s why I introduced the SHIPS for America Act, the most ambitious piece of legislation in decades to revitalize our shipbuilding and commercial maritime industries. Supported by Republicans and Democrats in both chambers of Congress and endorsed by more than 75 maritime leaders around the country, this proposal offers a clear pathway to regain our lost leadership, fueling our economy and strengthening our national security.

The SHIPS for America Act identifies three separate, but interrelated, pillars that we must focus on to revitalize the U.S. maritime industry effectively: U.S.-flag shipping, American shipbuilding, and workforce development.

First, we cut red tape and provide incentives to make it more financially competitive to sail a U.S.-flagged vessel, while also establishing the Strategic Commercial Fleet. With a larger U.S.-flagged fleet, we then invest in U.S. shipyards to build more U.S.-flagged ships in America and support next generation research and development. Building up U.S. shipyards will help us fix our Navy shipbuilding challenges, too.

We also have to recruit and retain qualified mariners and shipyard workers. That means cutting red tape for licensing, offering more educational and advancement opportunities, and supporting state maritime academies and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.

It’s a big undertaking, which will be overseen by a Maritime Security Board and powered by a Maritime Security Trust Fund with dedicated revenue sources.

History shows that every great economic power was a great maritime power too. Today, China’s maritime fleet and navy are larger than the United States. That makes us vulnerable economically and militarily.

The United States Trade Representative recently concluded that China has engaged in unfair trade practices, enabling them to grow their shipbuilding sector at the expense of American workers and our national security. Our response can’t simply be to penalize them. We need to proactively enact a comprehensive plan to restore American maritime dominance, through the SHIPS for America Act.

The U.S. is a seafaring nation. But without urgent action, we risk surrendering control of the seas to foreign governments and adversaries, while jeopardizing the supply chains that power our economy, and risking our national security.  We must reverse course immediately.

The SHIPS for America Act is the pathway to do it.

ABOUT SEN. MARK KELLY

Sen. Kelly earned his B.S. degree in marine engineering and nautical science from the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) and later an M.S. degree in aeronautical engineering from the United States Naval Postgraduate School. Sen. Kelly spent 25 years in the United States Navy as a pilot and is the first ever USMMA alumnus to serve in Congress. In 2023, Sen. Kelly was elected chair of the USMMA Board of Visitors for the 118th Congress.