Is the U.S. Still a Naval Power?

A.T. Mahan is perhaps the most widely quoted and authoritative strategic thinker on the relationship between commercial shipping and maritime power. That is probably because today any discussions of maritime power outside of those promoted by parochial industry interests rarely touch on any dimension of maritime power other than naval. Thinkers today just don’t ponder that relationship in any serious way. Consequently there is no discussion of the actual condition of the foreign going US flag merchant marine or whether or not that has any bearing on our maritime power or meaning to the overall welfare of the country. This is a discussion that needs to be refreshed based on the world we are faced with today, not the world Mahan lived in. While the opening question is one way to explore the issue, perhaps a more relevant phrasing of the question would be "Is it necessary for the US to have a US flag merchant fleet to be considered a maritime power?" To the first question I answer yes, and to the second I answer no.