Where Are the Ships? Fighting a Pacific War without American Sealift

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The war in Ukraine has shown that industrial might and logistics remain vitally important in a military confrontation when other modern warfare methods are not immediately decisive. When applying those lessons to a potential conflict in the western Pacific—where maritime logistics would be crucial, and where China’s maritime industry is growing—America faces challenges. For generations, the United States has not treated the American commercial shipping and shipbuilding industries as important components of national power. So today the US maritime industry is too small to contribute as much as it should to America’s military and economic security.

Hudson will host a conversation that examines the current state of the US maritime industry, its potential role in a western Pacific conflict, and the short- and long-term options to restore an American industry that promotes American security.

Rear Admiral Mark Buzby (US Navy, ret.) is the guest speaker. A graduate of the US Merchant Marine Academy and US Naval War College, Adm. Buzby served as the commander of the Navy’s Military Sealift Command and head of the Maritime Administration in the US Department of Transportation. No one has done more over the past decade to try to reinvigorate the American maritime industry.

This event is the kickoff for a series sponsored by the Maritime Research Program, a joint project offered by Hudson Institute’s Center for Defense Concepts and Technology and the Navy League’s Center for Maritime Strategy. Michael Roberts, a senior fellow with both organizations, will host the conversation.