An F/A-18E Super Hornet attached to the ‘Gunslingers’ of Strike Fighter Squadron 105 sits on the flight deck aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Mediterranean Sea, March 26, 2021. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Jacob Hilgendorf)

As America prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday, it is worth remembering a simple truth: our nation’s prosperity, security, and global influence have always depended on the sea.

From the first American warships that challenged the world’s greatest empire to today’s carrier strike groups, submarines, and Marines deployed around the globe, sea power has protected the freedom to trade, travel, and prosper. It has kept wars far from our shores and ensured that America—not our adversaries—helped shape the international order.

That responsibility has never been greater.

China is building the world’s largest navy. Russia continues to challenge maritime security from Europe to the Arctic. Iran threatens one of the world’s most important shipping lanes. The Indo-Pacific has become the center of strategic competition, and nearly every challenge facing the United States has a maritime dimension.

The oceans remain the world’s highways of trade and information through which mankind prospers. If America cannot guarantee freedom of navigation, our economy, our allies, and ultimately our way of life are at risk.

A strong Navy is not simply a military requirement. It is an economic necessity and a strategic imperative.

Yet ships alone are not enough. America needs shipbuilders, engineers, welders, merchant mariners, civilian mariners, innovators, and, above all, young Americans willing to raise their right hand and serve. It also needs leaders and citizen advocates who will demand sustained investment in maritime power, even when headlines shift elsewhere.

The next 250 years of American leadership will not be secured by speeches alone. They will be secured by the decisions made today to build a larger naval and commercial fleet, strengthen the maritime industrial base, recruit the next generation of sailors and civilian mariners, and maintain unquestioned command of the seas.

Supporting the Navy should never be viewed as a partisan issue. Republicans, Democrats, and independents all benefit from secure oceans, a thriving economy, and a military strong enough to deter conflict before it begins.

As we celebrate America’s first 250 years this Independence Day, let’s also commit ourselves to the next 250. Restoring the nation’s maritime dominance benefits and protects every American. If we want future generations to enjoy the same freedom and opportunity we inherited, we must once again become a maritime nation worthy of leading the world.

is a retired naval officer, co-founder of Provision Advisors and co-host of the award winning maritime podcast CavasShips.

This article was originally published by RealClearDefense and made available via RealClearWire.