ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the United States' maritime interests, its declared and practiced strategies for pursuing those interests, as well as shortcomings of its current approaches and opportunities for improving its responses to emerging challenges. The United States has an enduring interest in protecting freedom of navigation as an enabler of maritime trade, and its adoption of alliance networks and a rules-based international order as instruments of its own security and prosperity in the mid-20th century only strengthened its interest in maintaining global naval power. These interests remain primary today as the United States faces a resurgence in great power competition while also recognizing a broader spectrum of maritime challenges that demand non-military solutions. In addressing threats such as marine environmental degradation, coercive state activity below the threshold of conflict, and transnational crime, Washington has begun to push for an integrated approach to maritime security that enhances cooperation between actors both within the United States government and those of allies and partners. But with gaps in both priorities and capabilities between the United States and its partners, a reassessment of the role of traditional maritime security platforms and emerging tools and technologies is crucial for Washington to meet its stated objectives.
