America’s military faces a major operational challenge that policymakers have barely begun to notice. The sealift required to move U.S. forces to future war zones is slowly wasting away. The Navy is not building new sealift capacity at an adequate pace, the ships in the Maritime Administration’s Ready Reserve Force average 44 years of age, and the inventory of U.S.-flagged commercial vessels suitable for lifting military equipment is thinning out. If steps are not taken soon to reverse the decay, the world’s best trained and best equipped military force may not be able to respond to future wars fast enough to make a difference. I have written a commentary for Forbes here.
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