Ambassador John Negroponte - Center for Ocean Policy & Economics Launch (Washington, D.C.)

“As the first Director of National Intelligence, you can therefore imagine that national security and U.S. competitiveness are among my greatest concerns. For many years, we have been asking ourselves how to boost U.S. maritime competitiveness. As someone who grew up in a family with ties to the United States shipping industry, I'm keenly aware of how strong the U.S. maritime industry was after World War II and how it has dramatically declined since. This past year, the public was made witness to our maritime shortcomings."
“The oceans have afforded our nation a considerable part of our prosperity, not to mention our security. With the United States being the largest trading nation in the world, and 90% of goods moving across oceans, it should therefore come as a surprise to many that the United States represents just 0.4% of the global commercial fleet -- less than half of 1%. This lack of United States ownership of shipping tonnage not only leads to a loss of economic opportunity, but lessens our ability to protect ourselves, and exercise oversight and control of activities occurring on the high seas. I commend this plan and this effort to shed light on this situation as a way to help the United States chart a way forward.”
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