For centuries, the freedom of the seas principle has sustained the world economy and nations. It has served as an indispensable pillar of international stability, maritime security, and global commerce. The ability of commercial shipping vessels, naval fleets, and fishing boats to navigate international waters unhindered is not a diplomatic luxury—it is the bedrock of international order. Yet today, these foundational rights face unprecedented threats across critical maritime chokepoints, from the Middle East to the Indo-Pacific.

Nowhere is the threat more acute than the months-long conflict in the Strait of Hormuz. Over the course of the last seven months Iran has conducted systematic harassment, unlawful boarding, and illegal seizures of commercial tankers—alongside drone strikes and coercive threats against merchant shipping. All are flagrant violations of international law.

The Department of the Navy has invested billions over the past decade modernizing information technology. Cloud migrations, enterprise contracts, cybersecurity improvements, data integration efforts, and digital transformation initiatives have become hallmarks of modernization. Those investments have laid important groundwork for a more connected, more resilient digital enterprise.

Yet despite that progress, commanders still struggle to obtain timely, authoritative information needed to maintain ships, accelerate shipbuilding, improve logistics, modernize acquisition, and make better operational decisions.

Beginning in the 1960s, the U.S. Navy faced a growing threat from Soviet naval aviation and its developing antiship missile capabilities. Over the following decades, the Soviet Union expanded its ability to launch coordinated attacks against aircraft carriers using long-range bombers and antiship missiles. Aircraft such as the Tu-16 Badger and, later, the Tu-22M Backfire could launch missiles designed to threaten carrier groups.

The Soviet plan was to have bombers approach the fleet, launch their missiles from a distance, and withdraw before U.S. fighters could intercept them. This presented a serious challenge for the U.S. Navy, which needed to defend its carriers against attacks launched from beyond the reach of its existing fighter defenses.