Heritage Foundation Talking Seapower

Thinking About a Day Without Sea Power: Implications for U.S. Defense Policy Published on May 16, 2024 by Mackenzie Eaglen and Bryan McGrath.

• Modern American sea power is the most flexible, adaptable, useful, and powerful naval force the world has ever known.
• Congress and the Navy need to rebuild their relationship to help the nation build and afford the fleet it needs.
• The oceans are critical to international trade, with $40 billion in oil passing through strategic chokepoints daily and $3.2 trillion in yearly commerce passing through undersea cables.
• More than 95 percent of U.S. international trade is transported by water, with $5.5 billion in goods moving in and out of American ports on a daily basis. The U.S. Navy is essential to guaranteeing the security of this shipping.
• A significant reduction in U.S. naval capacity would harm the American economy financially and reduce employment.
• Failure to invest in the fleet and maintain steady growth in the number of ships in the Navy’s inventory will only embolden U.S. adversaries.

I'll let Bryan post before I dive into this, that way he won't feel like he is getting into one of those back and forth debates I know he doesn't care for.