- A new industry report says America’s maritime base is now central to national security, not a supporting asset.
- Five structural barriers threaten U.S. shipbuilding, port capacity, workforce development and maritime innovation.
- Industry leaders call for an organised, nationwide framework to execute the 2025 National Security Strategy.
Following President Trump’s release of the 2025 National Security Strategy (NSS), U.S. maritime leaders have issued a unified warning: America’s industrial and maritime systems must transform rapidly or risk falling short of the Strategy’s ambitions.
The response, published by ShippingInsight and authored by Dr Beatriz Canamary of SuRe Strategy Group, argues that maritime and industrial capacity is no longer an auxiliary pillar of national security; it is now the core of it. Economic security, resilient supply chains, shipbuilding capacity, and logistical strength are identified as the backbone of future U.S. competitiveness.
Five Barriers Slowing U.S. Maritime Revitalisation
Ahead of the NSS release, 49 maritime leaders convened at the ShippingInsight Leadership Roundtable in Houston. Their analysis identified five persistent barriers:
- Fragmented governance and policy instability
- Severe workforce shortages and widening skills gaps
- Underinvestment in innovation and capital alignment
- Incentives that slow technology adoption instead of accelerating it
- Long-term sustainability concerns for the U.S.-flag fleet
The industry’s message is clear: revitalisation is no longer optional; the only question is how fast the nation can organise to deliver it.
Industry Pushes for a New National Framework
A new industry-led coordination model is now being developed. Its focus includes:
- Aligning shipyards with inland and coastal manufacturing
- Creating regional maritime hubs linking ports, suppliers, workforce institutions and infrastructure developers
- Establishing a national baseline for shipbuilding surge capacity
- Accelerating port modernisation and digital transformation
- Improving access to capital for large-scale maritime projects
The report stresses that federal agencies cannot perform this coordination role alone, due to procurement limits and fragmented jurisdiction. Likewise, private markets lack a natural mechanism to unify competing companies around shared national goals.
Without a neutral industry-led structure, the NSS risks becoming a plan the U.S. cannot fully execute.
A Strategic Moment for U.S. Ports and Shipbuilding
The urgency is amplified by global realities. Although a third of all global trade moves by sea, no major U.S. port ranks in the world’s top 50 for productivity. The nation also lacks a clear measure of shipbuilding surge capacity at a time when defence readiness and rapid production are becoming geopolitical differentiators.
Meanwhile, the maritime industrial base is being reshaped by:
- Autonomous systems
- Artificial intelligence
- Advanced energy technologies
- Cyber-secured logistics networks
Only Industry Can Execute
Federal agencies can set policy. Markets can respond. But only industry can organise for execution.
America’s maritime sector shipyards, ports, supply chains, workforce development and technology are no longer peripheral. It is foundational to national security.
Further details on the framework’s structure and governance will be released in 2026, with SHIPPINGInsight now inviting shipyards, ports, manufacturers, logistics providers, technology firms and investors to participate.
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Source: SMI
