“Whosoever commands the sea commands the trade; whosoever commands the trade of the world commands the riches of the world, and consequently the world itself.” Coined by Sir Walter Raleigh and popularized by renowned strategist Alfred Thayer Mahan, this maxim has long underpinned U.S. grand strategy. For decades, the United States has relied on overwhelming naval power to perpetuate its military dominance, underwrite the security of global trade, and uphold the rules-based international order.