Maritime Administrator Phillips, military and government leaders address STAR Center's 2023 Training Needs Conference

Guest speakers at the 2023 Training Needs Conference held at STAR Center in March included Captain Bradley Clare, United States Coast Guard Commanding Officer, National Maritime Center; Rear Admiral Jeffrey Spivey, U.S. Navy Military Sealift Command, Deputy Commander; U.S. Maritime Administrator Rear Adm. Ann Phillips; and Mayte Medina USCG Chief, Merchant Mariner Credentialing. With them are AMO Safety and Education Plans trustee Anthony Naccarato; AMO Vice President, Government Relations, Christian Spain and STAR Center Director of Training Jerry Pannell.

Helping to guide the U.S. maritime industry through a challenging stretch was the theme of several military and government agency leaders during STAR Center"s annual Training Needs Conference, held March 1 and 2 in Dania Beach, Fla.

Spearheaded by remarks from U.S. Maritime Administrator Rear Adm. Ann Phillips (U.S. Navy, retired), leaders from Military Sealift Command, the United States Coast Guard and other maritime stakeholders stressed the need to help keep the US. Merchant Marine an essential part of America's economic and national defense goals.

"A healthy commercial industry is important to support Department of Defense force mobilizations," Phillips said. "Without mariners there would be no ships."

The AMO Safety and Education Plan"s STAR Center hosts the annual conference to provide AMO contracted companies, industry leaders, union officials and government and military representatives the opportunity to discuss the future of training at STAR Center and specific training needs on the horizon for members of American Maritime Officers. The conference also provides the opportunity for individual meetings to foster dialogue between STAR Center, contracted companies, represented organizations and regulators.

In addition to Phillips, the gathering also heard from Rear Adm. Jeff Spivey, Deputy Commander, Military Sealift Command; Ms. Mayte Medina, USCG, Chief, Merchant Mariner Credentialing, and Captain Bradley Clare, USCG, Commanding Officer, National Maritime Center.

Each of the distinguished speakers shared valuable information with the attendees from their unique perspectives on some of the critical issues and developments facing the U.S. maritime industry and American merchant mariners, as well including updates on each of their organization's current and future operations. Some of the main topics included increasing domestic maritime's role in the emerging offshore wind energy market, improving quality of life for mariners aboard vessels and sexual assault and sexual harassment (SASH) regulations, reporting and enforcement.

STAR Center provided a detailed presentation on current and future operations and led discussions with attendees on how STAR Center can further assist the AMO membership and contracted companies in meeting their ongoing and evolving training needs.

STAR Center Director of Training Captain Gerard Pannell welcomed the attendees and opened the annual outreach to AMO-contracted employers, the military, and government agencies to assist STAR Center in determining strategic direction and where to focus future efforts. The attendees were provided a tour of the STAR Center campus, simulators, classrooms, labs and workshops including the new MSC Security Training facility.

"Through the conference and participation, STAR Center and the AMO Safety and Education Plan Trustees received valuable feedback from direct discussions and informal input," Pannell said. "All attendees believed STAR Center continues to meet their training needs and that the conference was worthwhile and informative."