Top FY25 Security Priorities for U.S. Maritime & Supply Chain Operations

Windward’s maritime intelligence experts have identified the 7 most pressing maritime and supply chain security trends you should be watching in 2025. These trends are not just theoretical – they align with clear government priorities and tangible investments across U.S. federal agencies focused on national security, trade enforcement, and AI governance.

If you’re part of a U.S. government agency, a policy decision-maker, or an organization responsible for maritime risk, this guide highlights where your attention should be focused and which tools can help you act decisively.

Spoiler alert: AI-powered technologies will play a pivotal role in addressing complex maritime and supply chain security challenges, with an impressive sum allocated. Government agencies and personnel will benefit from the investment in AI and advanced analytics, if the right strategies are applied. The U.S. government’s FY25 budget underscores AI’s importance.

Increasing geopolitical tensions – particularly involving China and the U.S., plus Russia vs. the Ukraine and Western powers – are significantly reshaping maritime trade routes and patterns of global commerce. 

The intensifying trade conflicts, such as the recent U.S. decision to impose port entry fees of up to $1.5 million per Chinese-built vessel, have already disrupted conventional shipping lanes, forcing carriers to seek alternative ports, primarily in Europe and Canada. This is reshaping international trade flows and creating unprecedented operational complexities.

Example: Chinese-Affiliated Vessel Surge in Thailand

A recent example of these shifting dynamics can be seen in Thailand’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) during the first week of May 2025. The number of Chinese-affiliated vessels anchored in the area surged to 61 between May 4–6 – a 44% increase above expected levels and the highest concentration recorded in recent months. 

This spike reflects growing regional enforcement efforts aimed at preventing Chinese exporters from circumventing U.S. tariffs through transshipment and mislabeling the origin of goods. In response, Thai authorities, along with other Southeast Asian nations, have implemented stricter inspections and tighter controls over certificates of origin. 

Measures like these have created bottlenecks at ports, leading to longer wait times and a buildup of vessels at anchor. As enforcement continues to ramp up, shippers and logistics providers can expect further delays, elevated operational costs, and an evolving regulatory landscape across the region.

Undersea cables, responsible for 99% of international data traffic, have become prominent targets for sabotage, espionage, and hybrid threats. High-profile incidents, notably in the Baltic Sea region, have highlighted this critical vulnerability. Shadow fleets linked to sanctioned entities have increased espionage concerns by loitering suspiciously near critical undersea infrastructure.

The strategic importance of maritime infrastructure protection requires significant investment in AI-driven maritime surveillance and unmanned systems. There is also a need for advanced maritime domain awareness solutions, integrating multiple data streams and utilizing AI algorithms to enhance vessel monitoring capabilities. 

These measures reflect an increased governmental awareness and action towards protecting these crucial yet vulnerable global communication and energy transmission assets.

Enhanced cross-agency coordination will strengthen international cooperation, crucial for undersea cable security, given the jurisdictional complexities of maritime infrastructure traversing international waters.

Disruptions at crucial maritime chokepoints, including the Panama Canal and Strait of Hormuz, have highlighted vulnerabilities caused by geopolitical conflict, climate-related impacts, and hybrid threats. 

We’ve also seen the Houthis reroute global trade flows. These disruptions significantly raise shipping costs, elongate transit times, and increase uncertainty across global supply chains, affecting numerous sectors reliant on timely maritime transport.

AI-driven risk-scoring systems and supply chain mapping technologies can foresee and prevent disruptions, providing maritime and logistics stakeholders actionable intelligence for maintaining operational continuity.

Agencies are investing in data science teams and technology platforms that use AI to map supply chains, simulate disruptions, and assess systemic vulnerabilities in real time.

These tools enable faster response, better forecasting, and more resilient logistics – especially in sectors like semiconductors, critical minerals, and maritime freight.

Towers, drone feeds, and marine patrol aircraft are being upgraded with AI to spot anomalies in real time. Across air, land, and sea, this technology is creating a unified operational picture that allows agents to respond to border threats faster – whether it’s smuggling activity, unauthorized vessel entries, or an illicit rendezvous at sea.

The adoption of image recognition, AI-driven threat detection, and multi-source data fusion is transforming how maritime domain awareness (MDA) is achieved.

Early Detection is Essential 

Early detection of anomalies and behavioral trends is essential for maintaining maritime domain awareness and staying ahead of evolving threats. By identifying unusual patterns – such as unexpected surges in fishing activity, loitering vessels near sensitive infrastructure, or sudden drops in port arrivals – authorities can investigate and respond before these behaviors escalate into security incidents. 

The image below highlights 19 such anomalies detected within the U.S. EEZ over the past week (May 13, 2025) alone. These include both increases and decreases in vessel activity across different categories, underscoring the dynamic nature of maritime risks and the need for continuous, AI-enabled monitoring to surface actionable insights in real time.

The fentanyl crisis poses significant risks to national security and public health, with maritime smuggling becoming a primary transport route for synthetic opioids entering the United States. The adaptability and sophistication of transnational criminal organizations exploiting maritime routes have underscored the necessity for advanced detection and interdiction strategies.

AI-enabled platforms now analyze massive amounts of trade data – shipping manifests, container scans, and transaction records – to spot the telltale signs of synthetic opioid smuggling. The technology helps isolate risky shipments even when smuggling is obscured through complex supply chains, or legal precursor components.

AI acts as a force multiplier, flagging illicit patterns faster than traditional enforcement mechanisms.

China is building ships faster than the U.S. and its navy is expanding faster than any other navy on the planet. The manufacturing power and pace of the East, led by China, is creating an unbalanced battlefield, which holds true for surface, airborne, and underwater vehicles. Benefits of unmanned technology aside, the propulsion of unmanned systems is mainly a numbers game. 

An arms race that focuses on hardware (who has the most drones, aircraft, or ships) is more difficult to win now than ever before for the West, given the dizzying pace of military growth in China and other Eastern countries. 

Instead of an incessant and ineffectual hardware race, strategic advantage can be achieved by the West through being smarter and more agile. A shift from trying to have the largest number of weapons and the most expensive ones, to cheaper swarms that can be deployed cost-effectively and quickly. This means incorporating technology, specifically artificial intelligence (AI), to gain an edge. 

Unmanned systems are cheaper to produce and deploy, allowing for more of them to be operational at any given time. But more is better only if the deployment is thought out and effective. 

The first step before deploying an asset, manned or unmanned, is to decide where to deploy it. In the dauntingly expansive oceans, how do you choose where to look? Pre-mission planning is often based on historical data – deployed where illicit or threatening behavior has been known to happen before, or in known hubs of activity. The key word here is known. Deployment planning often falls into the trap of habit or inertia, rather than proactive operational planning meant to discover the unknown or to discover how the maritime ecosystem is constantly evolving.

As the number of deployed assets grows, data increases in parallel. 

AI is the answer…

Illicit maritime activity – from sanctions evasion to gray fleet logistics – is often funded through obscure financial channels. AI is being used to uncover hidden ownership, trace funding flows, and screen investments for national security threats.

Whether analyzing blockchain transactions or company registries, AI platforms help identify financial patterns linked to adversarial shipping tactics and strengthen sanctions enforcement.

As expected, the U.S. government’s AI investment is impressive. The Pentagon’s FY25 budget includes a robust $1.8 billion investment in artificial intelligence! 

The FY25 budget highlights the critical role of AI-powered technology in overcoming pressing security challenges at sea. It provides a viable roadmap for government personnel seeking to enhance operational resilience and security. 

Strategically investing in artificial intelligence and advanced analytics is the way forward.  

In an era of rapidly shifting geopolitical landscapes and hybrid security threats, recognizing emerging patterns quickly and efficiently is critical. Traditional monitoring and enforcement methods can no longer keep pace, especially as organizations face personnel shortages and increased demands. 

Windward’s AI-powered maritime intelligence solutions offer the ability to predict, detect, and mitigate risks proactively – before they escalate. By leveraging artificial intelligence, behavioral analytics, and real-time monitoring tools, Windward equips government agencies with actionable intelligence essential for safeguarding national security, global security, and economic stability. Connect with Windward to amplify your organization’s capabilities and stay ahead of the most critical maritime threats.