If you’ve ever been to the D.C. metro stops near the Pentagon, you’ll see huge posters from defense contractors promising that they offer solutions like “littoral dominance.” Most of us have never heard of that, but we’ve all benefited from it.

For the last 80 years, the U.S. has boasted littoral dominance across the entire world — that means we have military control of coastal regions, which is essential not just for protection but for international trade. Whoever controls the waters controls trade. When littoral dominance is in doubt, nations fight for control or pirates attack legitimate business — this is what Iran is doing with its attacks on Arab tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

Now imagine a world where America doesn’t rule the waves, and that kind of conflict will be everywhere.

So it’s in the interest of every nation on Earth to maintain the maritime status quo. But no one else pays for it, and the benevolent littoral dominance we provide is not cheap. This is what’s so delusional about people who criticize the president’s tariffs and yearn for “free trade.” There’s no such thing as free trade. Our Navy’s 2025 budget was about $204 billion, and probably by design, his tariffs were projected to boost federal tax........

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