CyberScoop: Rebuilding Maritime Cybersecurity Resilience: Charting an America First Course to Secure the Homeland

In long-form commentary for CyberScoop, I outline recommendations for the Trump administration and Congress to take action to rebuild the country’s maritime cybersecurity resilience. The 95,000 miles of expansive U.S. coastline and over 360 ports have been overshadowed by the homeland security emphasis on the Southern Border. Despite $5.4 trillion in economic activity and over 10 million jobs, the U.S. maritime digital infrastructure is porous and exceedingly vulnerable.

In collaboration with Congress, state and local leaders, and the private sector, the administration must properly support and modernize the U.S. Coast Guard, invest in advanced technologies and security measures, better equip state, local, tribal and territorial (SLTT) governments, and take action to revitalize American shipping.

There is an increasing need for urgency. Why?

For one, the United States has emboldened adversaries - such as China, Iran, Russia, and North Korea. The Chinese’s acknowledgement that their Volt Typhoon attacks, a campaign targeting American critical infrastructure, were meant to reduce American resolve from intervening in a potential China-Taiwan conflict.

The second contributing factor has been the decline in the port industry and American maritime economy, from longer-term disinvestment, weakening competition, tech debt, and overreliance on 80 percent of the ports’ Chinese cranes and its underlying software have compromised the maritime transportation system.

Recommendations:

Modernizing the Coast Guard:

• Congress and the administration should increase cyber-specific Coast Guard personnel and automated and comprehensive digital tools to gain visibility across thousands of miles of coastline. These recommendations should be priorities in the Coast Guard’s Force Design 2028 effort.

• Depending on Force Design 2028’s conclusions, Congress should also strongly consider a prospective Secretary of the Coast Guard to signal its co-equal importance with the other Armed Forces. 

Port Infrastructure and Supply Chains:

• Congress should pass the bipartisan Port Crane Security and Inspection Act of 2025 to take critical steps to reduce foreign crane reliance and decrease supply chain risk. 

• AI tools and the prospects for maritime blockchain technology deployment could improve security.

• Necessary software and operational technology systems upgrades are also essential to modernize dilapidated ports. 

Strengthening SLTT Partnerships:  

• Through President Trump’s Executive Order on Achieving Efficiency through State and Local Preparedness, the administration should work closely with SLTT leaders, industry, and key stakeholders to develop recommendations in its National Resilience Strategy, National Critical Infrastructure Strategy, and National Risk Register.

• These strategies should include proposed clear metrics, standards, and key performance indicators for government leaders to track. 

• These recommendations should also prioritize the preservation and enhancement of critical FEMA grant programs and information sharing forums.

• The U.S. Department of Homeland Security should also fast-track security clearances for key SLTT leaders to enable quicker and more effective coordination.  

Revitalizing U.S. Shipping Superiority:

• To bolster the U.S. shipping economy and bring in revenue to help pay for these cyber and homeland security investments, the President’s Executive Order on Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance should rely on the Coast Guard and Maritime Administration, who have expertise to develop and secure the American maritime industry.

• The Order calls for a Maritime Security Trust Fund, which would reinvest these prospective duties and fees into maritime security programs and infrastructure supporting commerce. Congress should pass legislation modeled after past bipartisan efforts with the SHIPS for America Act.

• The administration and Congress should pass the bicameral, bipartisan Cyber PIVOTT Act of 2025 and specifically include scholarships for cyber talent to enter the maritime community. 

President Trump and Congress have a rare opportunity to reinvigorate U.S. maritime cybersecurity. These suggested recommendations are necessary innovations that are essential to reinforcing America’s global position as the gold standard in cybersecurity.