NEWS of apparently bipartisan support from Australia’s major political parties for a strong future for the nation’s maritime sector comes after US Republicans and Democrats last week joined forces to advance similar goals.
A bipartisan report titled Congressional Guidance for a National Maritime Strategy was released by a Congressional committee comprising equal numbers from both parties and sets out strategic objectives and actions revitalising the US maritime industries, gCaptain reports.
While there is a focus on maritime security measures, including those designed to counter China’s influence, the report sets out ten things Congress can do now to help boost the United States’ maritime prowess.
These include developing a long-term national maritime strategy, expanding and protecting the domestic maritime workforce, growing domestic shipbuilding and US-flagged shipping capacity, investing in the maritime transportation system, creating innovation incubator programs, assessing threats in polar regions, ensuring Naval forces can defend freedom of the seas, de-risking the US maritime sector, and advancing the rule of law, allies, trade, quality of life, and universal access to global commons.
“Our bipartisan report provides a roadmap for the administration and Congress to work together to rebuild our shipbuilding sector and fortify the US-flag fleet,” committee member Senator Mark Kelly said. “It won’t be easy, but America has always been a maritime nation—and the stakes are too high for us to fail.”
The strategy includes explicitly incentivising US-flagged shipping, restoring commercial shipbuilding capacity, and expanding the maritime workforce required to build, operate, and maintain US ships.
