The White House on Friday released a 41-page plan aimed at making America once again dominant in the maritime space.
The Maritime Action Plan focuses on four pillars: “Rebuild U.S. Shipbuilding Capacity and Capabilities,” “Reform Workforce Education and Training,” “Protect the Maritime Industrial Base,” and “National Security, Economic Security, and Industrial Reliance.”
White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly told reporters on a press call Friday that the plan “provides the first holistic approach to revitalizing America’s commercial maritime industry while improving the delivery of government procurements. She said:
This plan enumerates actions to address national and economic security concerns related to the maritime sector, including strengthening the security and resilience of maritime supply chains, increasing the fleet of U.S.-built and flagged commercial vessels, developing a strategy to secure Arctic waterways, and recapitalizing government-owned sealift vessels.
“All of that starts with ensuring cooperation across relevant agencies. The plan establishes a foundation for coordination among federal departments to better plan their respective vessel acquisition programs and utilize best practices and lessons learned,” Kelly added. “It also takes steps to expand government programs and processes to improve both maritime manufacturing and the mariner workforce to meet future needs.”
It also focuses on deregulation and ways to promote investment into the industrial base, Kelly noted.
President Donald Trump directed officials across various agencies to work in tandem to produce a Maritime Action Plan through his executive order on April 9, 2025.
One senior White House official noted on Friday that Trump has already taken some actions in the maritime space since returning to the presidency, including his deal with Finland to produce icebreakers. The senior official said:
The president made the deal between him and President Stuart with Finland that essentially we’re getting Finland and companies to make direct foreign investments in the United States that is not only going to help us instantly grow Arctic security cutters or these medium icebreakers, which are going to help us to defend national interest in the Arctic regions, but it’s also bringing vital intellectual property, IP, to the United States on heavy industrial practices that are required for building icebreakers.
“So, I think as you see, you know, we’ve made significant deep investments in year one, and we’re moving into year two, and the announcement of this map is the beginning of that second movement,” the senior official added.
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