Trump Administration Releases America's Maritime Action Plan

The Trump administration (Administration) recently released "America's Maritime Action Plan" (MAP), which is the next step towards achieving the policy goals stated in the Administration's April 9, 2025 Executive Order 14269 entitled "Restoring American Maritime Dominance."

The MAP focuses on rebuilding the US domestic shipbuilding capacity, modernizing maritime regulations, increasing the size of the US merchant fleet and increasing support for maritime workforce education and training.

The MAP reinforces the Administration's focus on America's maritime sector. Similar to the US Trade Representative's (USTR) Section 301 investigation into Chinese shipbuilding and maritime practices, the MAP is premised on the notion that commercial shipbuilding and a vibrant merchant marine are directly tied to, and indeed essential to national and economic security. The MAP is yet another example of the continued intersection between economic, trade and national security concerns that is central