Window On Washington: Sailing Close To The Wind

The United States is facing a shortage of qualified mariners. This presents a national and economic security crisis that must be addressed by Washington policymakers to put America's power projection capability and supply chain security on an even keel. With a small internationally-trading merchant fleet and a dwindling supply of seafarers, the nation is beholden to foreign interests for international trade and faces uncertain challenges manning and sustaining national defense sealift capability to faraway theaters such as the Indo-Pacific Command ("INDOPACOM").

A 2019 study by the independent Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments ("CSBA"), an independent think tank specializing in U.S. defense policy, concluded, "The current and programmed defense maritime logistics force of the United States is inadequate to support the current U.S. national defense strategy and major military operations against China or Russia."¹ The authors found a shortage of