MARAD is the agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation responsible for promoting U.S. domestic shipping and shipbuilding, as well as funding port intermodal connections with rail and trucking.

Carmel, who is currently senior vice president of maritime services at MLL—the U.S. subsidiary of Danish shipping giant Maersk—also serves as an adviser at the Yorktown Institute, a U.S. national security and geopolitical forum. He is a licensed deep-sea ship’s master and has served as a vessel captain.

His nomination aligns with President Donald Trump’s efforts to bolster U.S. maritime power as part of his “America First” agenda. This includes plans to expand the U.S.-flag fleet for both international trade and domestic transport. Carmel has previously expressed concern about the declining capacity of the U.S. merchant fleet, describing it as being “in serious trouble” due to a lack of sealift capacity. During a 2021 presentation for the Baltimore Council on Foreign Affairs, he emphasized that the issue requires urgent attention and said that the U.S. is just beginning to understand the scale of the problem and what needs to be done.

Carmel has also been vocal about the unintended consequences of broad tariffs on supply chains, advocating for reshoring and highlighting the economic challenges of Arctic sea-route shipping for containers. His expertise in maritime logistics and strategic insights into U.S. shipping policy position him as a key figure in shaping the future of American maritime competitiveness.