Money well spent for US Navy

By most meaningful measures, the United States Navy is considered the strongest navy in the world. It spends more on naval power than the next several navies combined, and some of the money is spent on training sailors to beat other nations at the annual Naval Academies Regatta in Livorno, Italy.

Hosted by the Naval Academy of Livorno, the regatta has grown into a premier international event since its inception in 1981, bringing together naval academies from around the world to compete and collaborate. The 2026 event attracted 33 nations from four continents, with teams representing naval and military academies.

The US Navy dominated the 3-day competition in the one-design Trident 16 Class with Italy in second and China in third. The winning team was a joint effort between the dinghy and offshore programs featuring dinghy helm Leo Robillard (’29) with offshore crew Jackson Lubalin (’27) and Lauren Aaby (’27).