Posted:
April 7, 2017
The following letter dated March 24 was sent to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao by American Maritime Officers National President Paul Doell, Marine Engineers' Beneficial Association President Marshall Ainley and Masters, Mates and Pilots President Don Marcus.
As the Administration continues to develop its budget for Fiscal Year 2018, we would like to express our strong support for funding the National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV) program. Through this program the federal government would build a series of multi-purpose ships to be used mainly as training vessels for our nation's mariners at the State Maritime Academies (SMAs), but which would also be purpose-built for use in disaster assistance and humanitarian aid during times of national need.
Our nation's six state maritime academies produce over 70% of U.S. licensed officers each year. In order to receive a Coast Guard license, cadets must complete 360 days of creditable sea-time, most of which occurs aboard federally-owned training ships, which are operated by the State Maritime Academies.
These training vessels are aging and must be replaced. On September 16, 2017, the TS Empire State will have been in service for 56 years. Clearly, it is reaching the end of its useful life as a training ship. The TS Kennedy, launched in 1967, is not far behind. The Empire State and the Kennedy are our country's two largest training ships. Losing either one without a replacement will have a devastating impact on the mariner pipeline at a time when we are unable to meet the projected need for mariners.
Failure to address this problem will inevitably result in a weakened U.S. economy and will significantly diminish our military sealift capacity.
As you know, the maritime industry is an essential part of our nation's economy. Each year the industry creates over $100 billion in economic output, employing 1.5 million Americans and paying tens of billions in wages and benefits.
But often overlooked is the dependence of national security on civilian mariners, who provide logistical support for our operational and deployed forces in both peace and conflict. Years ago, the Defense Department adopted a policy of relying heavily on commercial ships and civilian crews for military sealift to war zones around the world. The use of commercial vessels and mariners to move military cargo, which saves the Defense Department billions of dollars each year, can only work if there is an adequate supply of civilian mariners. The former Commander of Military Sealift Command (MSC), RADM Thomas Shannon, highlighted the importance of civilian mariners to MSC when he reported that on the heaviest day of delivering combat gear to Kuwait for Operation Iraqi Freedom, 167 cargo ships stretched from the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts to Kuwait; equivalent to one ship every 50 miles.
Recently, Gen. Darren W. McDew, Commander U.S. Transportation Command, who oversees military sealift, spoke to the critical role that commercial mariners play in national security and his concern regarding the availability of mariners to meet the need for military sealift capacity. Gen. McDew said that the nation's ability to project a force with sealift in a manner similar to Desert Storm 25 years ago is no longer guaranteed due to a dwindling pool of American mariners. McDew said, "That should shock you. It shocks me." He added, "If the U.S. mariner base gets too small, we will have to rely on other countries to deploy our combat power." That possibility, he said, is only more worrisome as "the global security environment is only getting more contested."
According to a report on our future transportation workforce released in August 2015 by the U.S. Departments of Education, Labor, and Transportation, there will be a need for approximately 40,000 new U.S. Coast Guard credentialed captains, mates, pilots, and ship engineers between 2012 and 2022. That is a challenging target under the best of circumstances.
Madam Secretary, our country is facing an urgent need to address the recapitalization of our training ships. We encourage you to follow the recommendation of the DOT's Volpe Institute, which studied this problem and concluded, "Constructing five new vessels would have the lowest total estimated lifecycle costs, according to the analysis, and would provide vessels ready for a range of missions for 50 years."
Significantly, Congress has provided NSMV design funding over the past two years. The 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) included language authorizing $36 million to begin contracting construction of the National Security Multi-Mission Vessel.
We urge you to support investment in our mariners, our economy and our national security, by requesting funding for the National Security Multi-Mission Vessel program at its authorized level in the President's FY18 budget request.
Thank you for your consideration of this important issue.
National Security Multi-Mission Vessel Program crucial for U.S. mariner base, sealift capabilities
The following letter dated March 24 was sent to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao by American Maritime Officers National President Paul Doell, Marine Engineers' Beneficial Association President Marshall Ainley and Masters, Mates and Pilots President Don Marcus.
As the Administration continues to develop its budget for Fiscal Year 2018, we would like to express our strong support for funding the National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV) program. Through this program the federal government would build a series of multi-purpose ships to be used mainly as training vessels for our nation's mariners at the State Maritime Academies (SMAs), but which would also be purpose-built for use in disaster assistance and humanitarian aid during times of national need.
Our nation's six state maritime academies produce over 70% of U.S. licensed officers each year. In order to receive a Coast Guard license, cadets must complete 360 days of creditable sea-time, most of which occurs aboard federally-owned training ships, which are operated by the State Maritime Academies.
These training vessels are aging and must be replaced. On September 16, 2017, the TS Empire State will have been in service for 56 years. Clearly, it is reaching the end of its useful life as a training ship. The TS Kennedy, launched in 1967, is not far behind. The Empire State and the Kennedy are our country's two largest training ships. Losing either one without a replacement will have a devastating impact on the mariner pipeline at a time when we are unable to meet the projected need for mariners.
Failure to address this problem will inevitably result in a weakened U.S. economy and will significantly diminish our military sealift capacity.
As you know, the maritime industry is an essential part of our nation's economy. Each year the industry creates over $100 billion in economic output, employing 1.5 million Americans and paying tens of billions in wages and benefits.
But often overlooked is the dependence of national security on civilian mariners, who provide logistical support for our operational and deployed forces in both peace and conflict. Years ago, the Defense Department adopted a policy of relying heavily on commercial ships and civilian crews for military sealift to war zones around the world. The use of commercial vessels and mariners to move military cargo, which saves the Defense Department billions of dollars each year, can only work if there is an adequate supply of civilian mariners. The former Commander of Military Sealift Command (MSC), RADM Thomas Shannon, highlighted the importance of civilian mariners to MSC when he reported that on the heaviest day of delivering combat gear to Kuwait for Operation Iraqi Freedom, 167 cargo ships stretched from the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts to Kuwait; equivalent to one ship every 50 miles.
Recently, Gen. Darren W. McDew, Commander U.S. Transportation Command, who oversees military sealift, spoke to the critical role that commercial mariners play in national security and his concern regarding the availability of mariners to meet the need for military sealift capacity. Gen. McDew said that the nation's ability to project a force with sealift in a manner similar to Desert Storm 25 years ago is no longer guaranteed due to a dwindling pool of American mariners. McDew said, "That should shock you. It shocks me." He added, "If the U.S. mariner base gets too small, we will have to rely on other countries to deploy our combat power." That possibility, he said, is only more worrisome as "the global security environment is only getting more contested."
According to a report on our future transportation workforce released in August 2015 by the U.S. Departments of Education, Labor, and Transportation, there will be a need for approximately 40,000 new U.S. Coast Guard credentialed captains, mates, pilots, and ship engineers between 2012 and 2022. That is a challenging target under the best of circumstances.
Madam Secretary, our country is facing an urgent need to address the recapitalization of our training ships. We encourage you to follow the recommendation of the DOT's Volpe Institute, which studied this problem and concluded, "Constructing five new vessels would have the lowest total estimated lifecycle costs, according to the analysis, and would provide vessels ready for a range of missions for 50 years."
Significantly, Congress has provided NSMV design funding over the past two years. The 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) included language authorizing $36 million to begin contracting construction of the National Security Multi-Mission Vessel.
We urge you to support investment in our mariners, our economy and our national security, by requesting funding for the National Security Multi-Mission Vessel program at its authorized level in the President's FY18 budget request.
Thank you for your consideration of this important issue.