VISA: What Should be in America's Sealift Wallet?

Abstract

The significance of American sealift is evident throughout history from its deficiency in the Spanish-American War to its abundance in World War II. Despite the adoption of the Voluntary Intermodal Sealift Agreement (VISA), which updated the contingency sealift process, its good intentions do not provide a long-term solution. From a conceptual standpoint, it is valid. From a realistic standpoint, it is not and the diagnosis remains the same: insufficient U.S. flag shipping. Maritime legislation over the last century attempted to cure that ailment, but the U.S. flag fleet continues to shrink in spite of it. Many argue that the use of foreign flag shipping is the answer, yet there are potential, even significant risks to adopting such a plan. Globalization and new international and national maritime security measures are variables that the sealift equation needs to more deeply address and creatively embrace. That is where the solution lay, because VISA is not a durable answer to augmenting organic sealift in a time of crisis.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 03, 2010
Accession Number
ADA525075

Entities

People

  • Christopher G. Janus

Organizations

  • Naval War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Ground and Sea Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agreements
  • Combatant Commanders
  • Commerce
  • Globalization
  • International Trade
  • Law
  • Marine Transportation
  • Maritime Industry
  • Maritime Security
  • Military Science
  • National Security
  • Security
  • Shipping
  • Transportation
  • United States Transportation Command
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Government and Public Administration Law.
  • Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering.
  • Systems Analysis and Design