By Navy League National President Bill Stevenson
This is blog post appears in the February/March issue of Seapower magazine, the official magazine of the Navy League of the United States.
Navy League members have a unique advantage when it comes to advocating on behalf of the sea services: We have no ulterior motive or partisan backing. We do so only because it is what is good for the sea services and our nation.
With those intentions in mind, this past month we unveiled our 2021-2022 Maritime Policy report. This document serves as a north star to our initiatives in the coming two years, detailing what matters are of critical importance for Congress and the administration to address.
The beginning of this report focuses on ensuring our sea services have the recruitment and retention initiatives they need to maintain superiority. Experts have testified that only 2% of Americans are both eligible and have a propensity to serve. That is why it is critical that we foster youth programs in our communities, like the U.S. Naval Sea Cadets, Young Marines, JROTC and others.
The Navy critically needs our support on the Columbia-class submarine program, the No. 1 need in shipbuilding according to Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday. But shipbuilding across the board needs to be a priority in this era of great power competition, with vast increases in China’s fleet and Russia’s Arctic presence.
To increase lethality and modernize the force, the Navy League supports the vision of Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger, who is spearheading a reorganization of the force that will see a reduction in F-35 squadrons, fewer Marines per battalion, a divestment of certain battalions and squadrons, and a reduction of the Fleet Marine Force by 12,000 Marines by 2030. As international conflict largely transitions from the Middle East back to the maritime domain, Congress should support these changes.
The Coast Guard’s expansive mission set keeps growing and needs immediate funding to meet its ever-increasing operational demands. Modernizing its technology suite, updating its shore infrastructure, and continuing the service’s plans to recapitalize its existing ships while replacing some of its oldest assets are critical to its future. The Coast Guard needs at least 5% annual increases in operations and support funding each year, in addition to $300 million for shore infrastructure and $100 million for IT upgrades.
The Jones Act creates 650,000 jobs and adds $72 billion in value to the United States’ economic output. But the unfortunate reality is the Maritime Administration is woefully behind in its fleet’s age and readiness, and is also about 1,800 mariners short to support sealift needs for a period of longer than six months. MARAD needs $314 million in funds for the Maritime Security Program, full funding of the Reserve Ready Fleet and Military Sealift Command, and strong cargo preference laws, among many other recommendations contained in the report.
Both our national defense and our economy are reliant on the seas. The COVID-19 pandemic has created an uncertain future when it comes to congressional funding priorities, but we must be certain to never let our representatives forget that American jobs and security rest in the hands of our sea services.