Restoring America's Maritime Dominance
This executive order titled Restoring America's Maritime Dominance directs the Administration to chart and execute a comprehensive plan to rebuild the United States’ domestic shipbuilding capacity and maritime workforce, strengthen national security, and boost economic competitiveness in global shipping. It requires a detailed Maritime Action Plan (MAP) within 210 days, produced by multiple federal agencies and aligned with Buy American principles. The MAP would lay out funding strategies, policy changes, and specific programs to expand US-flag vessels, shore up shipyards and supply chains, train mariners, and modernize key maritime institutions like the US Merchant Marine Academy. Beyond planning, the order embeds concrete initiatives: using defense and private capital to grow the maritime industrial base; potentially imposing tariffs or other actions in response to foreign practices (notably the PRC) that target maritime sectors; strengthening harbor fee collection enforcement; encouraging allied cooperation; creating a Maritime Security Trust Fund to provide steadier funding for MAP programs; and pursuing regulatory and procurement reforms to accelerate shipbuilding and reduce cost overruns. The overall aim is to reduce dependence on adversaries, increase the U.S. maritime fleet and capabilities, and ensure a resilient, secure, and globally competitive maritime economy.
Key Points
- 1Maritime Action Plan (MAP) and interagency coordination. Within 210 days, the President requires an MAP developed by APNSA with multiple cabinet secretaries (State, Defense, Commerce, Labor, Transportation, Homeland Security, USTR, and others). The plan is to implement policy to revitalize domestic maritime industries and workforce, and to guide legislative, regulatory, and fiscal actions.
- 2Security and resilience of the Maritime Industrial Base. Within 180 days, key agencies (Defense, Commerce, Transportation, Homeland Security) must assess options to use authorities like the Defense Production Act Title III and private capital to expand shipbuilding, component supply chains, port infrastructure, and related workforce. The plan also directs use of the Office of Strategic Capital loan program to bolster shipbuilding.
- 3Trade actions related to the PRC and allied engagement. The order contemplates actions under Section 301 investigations of the PRC’s targeting of maritime sectors, including coordinating information gathering and enforcement with the Attorney General and DHS. It also opens the door to tariffs on ship-to-shore cranes and other cargo-handling equipment tied to PRC-origin components or firms with PRC influence.
- 4Funding, incentives, and programs. The order creates a Maritime Security Trust Fund proposal to be described in the MAP, potentially funded by tariff revenue, fines, or taxes to support MAP programs. It also calls for a Shipbuilding Financial Incentives Program to provide grants, loans, and loan guarantees, potentially replacing or augmenting existing programs (like Small Shipyard Grants and Title XI financing).
- 5Workforce, procurement, and modernization. Provisions require expanding mariner training and education, modernizing the USMMA, improving procurement efficiency and government acquisition for vessels, and deregulating where possible to speed development and reduce costs. It also envisions Maritime Prosperity Zones to incent investment outside traditional coastal hubs and to diversify geographic coverage.