In this third letter to the NSF Director and Leadership we are expressing three critical and immediate concerns, emphasizing the potentially greatly diminished U.S. leadership without the lease or acquisition of a new globally-ranging riserless U.S. drilling vessel and without continued funding of the JOIDES Resolution through 2028, the loss of mission-critical oceanographic research infrastructure if the U.S. retreats from this global research endeavor, and significant national security concerns for the United States if this happens.