Guide: How U.S. Freedom of Navigation Operations Work
The Freedom of Navigation Program is a Department of Defense initiative, in place since 1979, that uses U.
Policy
Shipbuilding budgets, force-level targets, legislation and treaties tracked against delivery reality, with documents quoted and arithmetic checked.
The Jones Act and the U.S. Naval Shipbuilding Base, Explained
The century-old cabotage law sets three conditions for domestic shipping and has become a fixture in debates over the health of the shipyards the Navy depends on.
How the Navy Holds People Accountable for Collisions: The 2017 Precedents
The Navy's accountability system reaches from deckplates to fleet command: the 2017 Pacific Fleet collisions produced relief of commanding officers, a fleet commander, and staff admirals, alongside nonjudicial punishment for dozens of sailors.
Prize Law Explained: When and How a Navy May Seize Ships at Sea in War
The law of naval warfare has governed the capture of merchant ships for centuries, and its machinery of prizes, prize courts, and prize money is dormant in American practice but never repealed in principle.
Sealift and Merchant Marine Readiness: How America Moves a War Through Commercial Ships
Nearly all U.S. military equipment moves to a contested theater by sea, and the policy architecture that makes that possible rests on a shrinking commercial fleet, a government surge fleet, and a mariner workforce that watchdogs say is too small.
How the Navy Investigates Collisions: A Primer on Boards, Reviews, and Reports
When a U.S. warship collides with another vessel, at least three parallel investigations begin within days, and their findings move on separate administrative, safety, and civil tracks.