SAS 2016: Concern expressed over US maritime decline
A senior official has expressed serious concern over the declining state of US civil maritime capabilities and its potential impact on future military operations.
Participating in a service chiefs’ panel at the opening of this week’s Sea-Air-Space exposition, Paul Jaenichen maritime administrator for the US Maritime Administration described the US sealift fleet as being ‘at a tripping point’.
Jaenichen characterised the current US presence in the maritime domain as ‘at the lowest level in our history’.
‘There are only 79 US-flagged ships remaining in international trade,’ he explained. ‘And that is a 25% drop over the last three years. We
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