Sec. 3502. Sense of Congress regarding role of domestic maritime industry in national security
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Congress makes the following findings: The United States domestic maritime industry, with a fleet of nearly 40,000 vessels, supports nearly 650,000 American jobs and provides more than $150,000,000 in annual economic output. The vessel innovations of the domestic trades that transformed worldwide maritime commerce include the development of container ships, self-unloading vessels, articulated tug-barges, trailer barges, chemical parcel tankers, railroad-on-barge carfloats, and river flotilla towing systems.
The domestic fleet is essential to national security is needed to crew United States Government-owned and other sealift vessels to protect the Nation. The Department of Defense and the entire national security infrastructure of the United States benefits from a robust commercial shipyard and ship repair industry, which helps provide both economic and military sealift support. The Department of Defense depends on the United States domestic trades’ fleet of container ships, roll-on/roll-off ships, product tankers, and other vessels to assist with the flow of military cargoes during both peace time and war time.
It is the sense of Congress that— United States coastwise trade laws promote a strong domestic trade maritime industry, which supports the national security and economic vitality of the United States and the efficient operation of the United States transportation system; and a strong commercial maritime industry makes the United States more secure.