As of July 2021, that’s about 180 ships out of a global fleet of more than 43,000. flagged vessels make up only 0.4% of the world’s vessels (yes, that’s 0.4%, not 4%). The United States is an inherently maritime nation. Navy warships, but have failed to invest even modestly in the civilian maritime industries that will support our warfighting capabilities. Instead, America’s maritime infrastructure continues to be overlooked and our commercial fleet continues to fall behind those of our maritime competitors. In the midst of negotiations surrounding one of the largest infrastructure spending bills in decades, there has been almost no serious discussion about the need to enhance our commercial sealift capabilities or to increase American shipbuilding capacity. In the words of a senior official responsible for America’s sealift capability, this is no less than a “screaming national security vulnerability.” America’s commercial fleet is languishing vessels engaged in global commerce has never been smaller. And while much has been written on Chinese military ambitions at sea, we seem to have forgotten Beijing’s commercial maritime activity, which has also increased dramatically, in terms of both shipbuilding and investments in port infrastructure around the globe. With the United States drawing down in the Middle East and starting to realize the long-awaited “ pivot to the Pacific,” Chinese naval expansion and the troubling practices of Chinese distant-water fishing fleets have risen to the top of the list of global and national security concerns plaguing our top strategists.
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