During World War II, U.S. naval forces were critical in liberating the Pacific from imperial Japan. The Navy also continued its peacekeeping role throughout the Cold War, preventing potentially disastrous conflicts in the Taiwan Strait, assisting U.S. allies during the Korean War, and stymying Soviet aggression, to name just a few.

In the years since, however, America’s fleet has suffered tremendous setbacks. Failure to maintain a sizeable fleet and meet shipbuilding targets have become growing issues that — despite their importance to U.S. national security — have been ignored by large swaths of America’s political class. If left unaddressed, these problems threaten to upend America’s maritime power. …

But it’s not just the size of the Navy that’s decreased. Since World War II, the U.S. has also witnessed a steady decline in the number of public shipyards responsible for maintaining a battle-ready fleet.

[Hugh Hewitt has been ringing this bell for years, and will undoubtedly urge Republican presidential candidates to declare for a rebuilding effort. Navies still matter in geopolitics, and this decline threatens not just our security but also global supply chains. It matters. — Ed]