American energy dominance and the nation’s maritime power are inexorably linked together.

Graduating from the US Naval Academy in 1981, I stepped into a world defined by strategic peer competition with the Soviet Union. Energy issues had recently come to the forefront of public awareness after the jarring 1974 Middle East oil embargo that followed the Yom Kippur War in Israel. “Energy vulnerability” found its way into the national security lexicon.

Back then, our nation’s shipbuilding prowess was unmatched, allowing the United States to dominate and safeguard the global sea lanes that help drive international economic stability. Starting in the early 1990s, however, our nation’s shipbuilding dominance began to slowly deteriorate—a trend that continues to this day. 

The precipitous decline in our shipbuilding capability has eroded our national security just as rising demand for power is magnifying our need to maintain multiple energy sources simultaneously. Fortunately, the Trump Administration is addressing both fronts. On day one, the president signed an executive order to unleash American energy dominance, distancing us from past dependence on foreign energy supplies. And through the April 9, 2025, Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance Executive Order, the United States advanced the strategic imperative of strengthening our maritime industrial base and expanding workforce development opportunities. 

We must now do everything we can to enhance our energy and maritime capacities, including identifying and building upon the positive activities already underway in those sectors. One so-far undervalued resource that can elevate US national security by simultaneously building up our shipbuilding base and boosting available energy supplies is offshore wind development, an important new source of demand for American shipbuilders and still a largely untapped domestic energy option.

Take the recently built ECO Liberty service operations vessel (SOV). On June 28, 2025, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry and First Lady Sharon Landry christened the ship at the Port of New Orleans, calling the Edison Chouest-built vessel a symbol of “Louisiana’s greatness.” The ship was built with American steel and by over 500 skilled Louisianans to support the Empire Wind 1 project in New York, which will power half a million homes when ready.

That is not a one-off. Another US-made SOV is maintaining New York’s South Fork Wind project, the first utility-scale offshore wind project in US federal waters. This vessel was built by more than 600 Americans across shipyards in Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi, with components sourced from thirty-four states. South Fork’s offshore substation—the first of its kind in the United States — was fabricated in Texas, leveraging American offshore oil and gas expertise. It is already demonstrating its value, exceeding performance expectations for offshore wind in the area.
A new vessel of tremendous proportions, the Texas-built Charybdis, will soon debut off the coast of Virginia. The first domestically built offshore wind turbine installation vessel has been undergoing sea trials before use at Dominion Energy’s Coastal Offshore Wind project, which can power over 650,000 homes. The ship was built with 14,000 tons of US steel, employing over 1,200 workers at the Seatrium AMFELS shipyard in Brownsville, Texas.

As a young division officer, and continuing throughout my career, I was expected to take vital information from sailors and fellow officers — those closest to the work — accurately analyze it, and relay it up the chain of command so that senior leaders could make informed decisions. When I see these pointed examples of shipbuilding efforts and job creation in support of a new source of abundant and reliable American energy, my message to our leaders is clear: offshore wind development supports America’s shipbuilding and energy needs alike.

The skilled tradespeople, suppliers, and manufacturers that build ships for offshore wind are helping boost US energy production. That means more energy security and a faster path toward energy dominance. Fulfilling these strategic imperatives makes our nation stronger.

In fact, offshore wind complements our energy dominance agenda—it draws from oil and gas expertise, provides new work for Gulf energy suppliers, and supports job creation and local communities across the traditional energy economy. The more we develop, the more power we generate, and the greater its economic and energy impact becomes.

Reinvigorating US shipbuilding is another key element of that strong national security agenda. Every industry that can support the development and growth of the domestic shipbuilding industry should receive the public’s unwavering support—especially those that advance our nation’s energy security. We must be clear-eyed and acknowledge the fact that offshore wind is giving a critical boost to American shipbuilding while advancing our energy security objectives along with it.

Note: This article represents the author’s personal views and does not reflect the views of the United States Navy or the United States government.

About the Author: Commander Kirk Lippold

Commander Kirk Lippold, USN (Ret) was in command of the USS Cole when it was attacked by al Qaeda terrorists in October 2000. He and his crew evacuated those wounded and saved the American warship from sinking. He frequently shares his perspectives on national security and energy issues.

Image: Shutterstock/13_Phunkod

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