The world is a dangerous and competitive place. China is expanding its naval presence across the globe. Russia is rebuilding its military industrial base and testing the limits of the free world from Ukraine to the Arctic. Rogue regimes like Iran and North Korea continue to rattle their sabers.
In such a world, the United States cannot afford to be naïve about the strategic importance of maintaining a strong domestic maritime capability.
Yet there are still voices in Washington and the think-tank circuit who call for gutting or repealing the Jones Act, the century-old law that forms the backbone of America’s maritime security.
The Merchant Marine Act of 1920 — known as the Jones Act — is simple in concept and profound in impact. It requires that goods transported between U.S. ports be carried on ships that are built in America, owned by Americans, and crewed by Americans. That ensures that, in times of war or crisis, the United States has the ships, shipyards, and trained mariners it needs to defend itself and sustain its military.
Without it, America would quickly find itself dependent on foreign powers — many of them adversaries — for essential shipping within our own borders. That would be economic suicide and a national security nightmare rolled into one.
Cabotage Laws: The Global Norm
Critics of the Jones Act often paint it as an antiquated protectionist relic. But here’s the irony they never acknowledge: most major maritime nations around the world have their own cabotage laws, and many of the very countries that complain about America’s policy enforce restrictions far stricter than ours.
Consider China, which prohibits foreign ships from carrying goods or passengers between Chinese ports. All coastal trade must be done by Chinese-built, Chinese-owned, and Chinese-crewed vessels. Beijing even subsidizes its shipbuilding industry to the tune of $130 billion annually to maintain dominance. Yet Chinese officials and their allies in American academia and media routinely deride the Jones Act as “protectionist.” The hypocrisy is breathtaking.
Japan enforces similar laws; its coastal trade is reserved for Japanese vessels. South Korea does likewise, allowing foreign participation only under rare government exemptions. Both nations view their maritime industries as strategic assets essential to economic independence and defense.
Even Canada, our close ally, has its own version of the Jones Act: the Coasting Trade Act, which requires that goods moved between Canadian ports be carried on Canadian-registered, Canadian-crewed ships. And the European Union, often cited as a model of free trade, lets each member state regulate its own internal cabotage. Most EU nations — Norway, France, Spain, Italy — reserve domestic routes for national carriers.
In short: the world runs on cabotage laws. The only difference is that America is pressured to apologize for enforcing hers.
National Security, Not “Protectionism”
The Jones Act is not merely an economic policy — it is a national security statute. When Congress passed it in 1920, the wounds of World War I were still fresh. Lawmakers understood that a nation without a strong merchant marine cannot project power, defend itself, or sustain its military.
Modern military leaders understand this.
They’re right. The U.S. Military Sealift Command and the Ready Reserve Force depend heavily on the Jones Act fleet and its mariners. Those civilian mariners, trained and loyal Americans, are the logistical backbone of the U.S. Navy in times of war. Without them, our military would be forced to rely on foreign-flagged ships and crews of uncertain allegiance.
That is not a risk a serious nation takes.
A Maritime Wall for Homeland Security
Since 9/11, homeland security experts have warned that America’s 25,000 miles of navigable inland waterways remain potential targets and infiltration routes. The Jones Act acts as a maritime barrier — what U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials call a “virtual wall.”
Imagine Chinese or Russian state-owned vessels navigating America’s interior, loaded with surveillance gear, mapping infrastructure, or worse. The Jones Act ensures that only American-crewed, American-flagged ships — manned by trained, vetted citizens—operate within most of our ports and waterways. It is, quite literally, border control for the seas.
The Global Double Standard
If the Jones Act were truly outdated or harmful, why do so many other countries maintain nearly identical laws?
China enforces cabotage with military precision while spending billions to dominate shipbuilding.
Japan and South Korea protect their domestic fleets as national security imperatives.
Canada, Australia, the Philippines, India, and Brazil all have their own versions.
The answer is obvious: nations with foresight understand that maritime capacity is national power. Cabotage laws are the legal expression of that principle. What makes America unique is that some here seem determined to undermine it.
But Adam Smith, the father of modern economics, recognized that defense takes precedence over abstract market purity.
Indeed, the very first Congress, composed of many Founders, passed America’s first cabotage law as the fourth act of Congress — to ensure our independence at sea.
The Jones Act continues that tradition.
A Century-Proven Safeguard
The Jones Act has endured for more than a century because it works. It ensures that America can build, operate, and defend its own ships with its own people. It secures our waterways, sustains our shipyards, and supports a skilled maritime workforce ready to serve in times of war or peace.
A nation that cannot move its own goods cannot defend its own freedom. Instead, we must strengthen the Jones Act — modernize shipyards, train more mariners, and ensure that America remains the world’s foremost maritime power. Because history is clear: when nations neglect their shipping, they lose their sovereignty.
The Jones Act keeps America sovereign.
Editor’s Note: Do you enjoy Townhall’s conservative reporting that takes on the radical left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.
Join Townhall VIP and use promo code MERRY74 to get 74% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member