Photo By Robert Fluegel | SAN DIEGO, Calif. (January 29, 2025) - Commander, Office of Naval Intelligence Rear...... read more read more
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SAN DIEGO, Calif. – During his remarks at the WEST 2025 Information Warfare Pavilion Speakers Series, Commander, Office of Naval Intelligence Rear Adm. Mike Brookes underscored the significance of ONI’s unique civil maritime expertise to Navy and national strategic priorities, including securing the world’s oceans, sustaining the U.S. and global economies, and confronting threats that challenge the American way of life.
Brookes noted that maritime shipping forms the backbone of the global economy, citing that more than 90% of global trade by volume is transported by sea.
“The global economy relies on the vast maritime trade network—a critical lifeline our adversaries depend on to sustain them in peacetime and conflict. ONI’s world-class commercial maritime expertise empowers us to identify and exploit adversary vulnerabilities, enabling us to disrupt and diminish their influence across this essential global network,” said Brookes.
He went on to note that U.S. warfighters’ capabilities to deter, disrupt, or defeat adversary threats are a crucial factor to securing the oceans.
“Lost in the shuffle is the need to understand the civil maritime industry itself; specifically, the manner in which it reacts to provocations that threaten the status quo. Those effects can serve as harbingers for larger geopolitical reverberations that can inform policy, drive deterrence, and enable victory,” said Brookes.
As the nation’s center of excellence for civil maritime analysis, ONI provides U.S. policy makers, military planners, and operational commanders with decision advantage in the maritime domain.
“Our understanding of this industry and how our allies and adversaries, alike, depend on it—both in peacetime and during conflict—is vital to U.S. national security,” said Brookes.
Brookes called attention to recent events in Ukraine and the Middle East that have highlighted vulnerabilities within the commercial shipping industry and the critical nature of securing maritime trade routes, as evidenced by skyrocketing container shipping rates and increased inflation of global goods.
In addition to ensuring free, open, and secure global lines of commerce, ONI’s civil maritime analysis can drive deterrence efforts against adversaries. For example, China, the United States’ top pacing threat, also relies heavily on maritime trade and shipping to meet its resource demands. This dependence, Brookes pointed out, exposes China to vulnerabilities and disruptions in the civil maritime domain.
Hosted annually by AFCEA and the U.S. Naval Institute, WEST is the premier naval conference and exposition on the West Coast where Sea Service leaders confront profound and rapidly changing threats in a landscape of increasingly complex challenges.
The Office of Naval Intelligence delivers war-winning maritime expertise that promotes our nation’s prosperity and security, deters aggression, and provides options to our leaders. For more information on the Office of Naval Intelligence, visit www.oni.navy.mil.
| Date Taken: | 02.06.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 02.06.2025 07:23 |
| Story ID: | 490225 |
| Location: | SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 235 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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