Posted: March 23, 2015

Commander of USTRANSCOM provides testimony on importance of Jones Act


In written testimony provided for the Senate Armed Services Committee's March 19 hearing on U.S. Strategic Command, U.S. Transportation Command, and U.S. Cyber Command, Gen. Paul Selva, commander of the U.S. Transportation Command, made the following statement:

"Existing maritime laws also contribute to ensuring a responsive U.S. mariner fleet is ready to meet any DOD (Department of Defense) contingency requirement. For example, the Jones Act contributes to a robust domestic maritime industry that helps to maintain the U.S. industrial shipyard base and infrastructure to build, repair, and overhaul U.S. vessels. The Jones Act requirement for U.S.-crewed and built vessels provides additional capacity and trained U.S. merchant mariners that can crew RRF (Ready Reserve Force) vessels in times of war or national emergency."

Gen. Selva also remarked upon the importance of U.S. merchant mariners and the American maritime industry to national defense in his presentation to the Maritime Trades Department, AFL-CIO, in February. An article on his presentation is included in the March edition of American Maritime Officer.