The heads of the U.S. Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) and the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), respectively, recently made strong statements reflecting their appreciation for the U.S. Merchant Marine’s key role in national security.Gen. Norton Schwartz, commander, TRANSCOM, and Lt. Gen. Robert Dail, who’s in charge of the DLA, addressed the MTD executive board meetings in Las Vegas. Schwartz spoke on March 1 and Dail offered remarks the next day.
Both men made it clear that America’s reliance on sealift isn’t about to change, including dependence on civilian mariners.
“It’s all about chartering the direct course to deliver military power in the quickest, most efficient, most businesslike manner wherever and whenever the nation calls on us to serve,” stated Schwartz. “I’m taking no chances at all by telling you that we’re going to continue to depend on you—all of you—to make that projection of American power possible. The vast majority of how we get things done is through sealift.”
Dail said that when it comes to sealift, U.S. maritime labor is “absolutely critical to that capability. The work that you have done with the Maritime Security Program, the Jones Act and many of the other national security programs in the maritime industry have given us this capability. We need to continue our commitment between government, labor and industry to underscore this capability, make sure it doesn’t get put on the back burner, and make sure it’s there for us tomorrow.”
Dollars and Sense
General Schwartz cited practical economic reasons why maintaining a strong U.S. fleet makes sense for the country.
While the need for adequate sealift capability is a given, so too is the desire to achieve that goal efficiently.
For example, he noted that 10 U.S.-flag military support ships were underway on missions that very day—seven from the commercial sector, three from the government-owned fleet, all crewed by civilian mariners.
“A good way to get our minds around what this implies is that only about 21 percent of the shipping that we use is owned by the U.S. government,” Schwartz explained. “The other 79 percent is present in U.S. flags in American commerce. I think the ships that you sail aboard clearly represent one of the most cost-effective of expenditures people have figured out how to make in government.”
He pointed to the U.S. Maritime Security Program (MSP) and its related Voluntary Intermodal Sealift Agreement (VISA) as a prime illustration. If the government were tasked with replicating the vessels and infrastructure now available to the military via the MSP and VISA, it literally would cost tens of billions of dollars, Schwartz stated. Instead, those programs function for a fraction of that cost, and they help ensure the continued existence of a well-trained pool of reliable U.S. mariners along with dozens of privately owned, militarily useful American-flag ships.
“The truth of the matter is that in many ways you can do business much better than we can in government and that’s why the teamwork here is so very important and why a fully funded Maritime Security Program is important to the defense community,” he said.
Additionally, Schwartz pointed out that more than 90 percent of the materiel that has entered combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001 has moved via U.S.-flag sealift.
“Our alliance is constant and we’re all pulling on the same rope,” he concluded. “The bottom line I hope you will carry away from this is that we are much about being accountable. We are certainly interested in investing in you as partners in America’s maritime strength. We are counting on you to continue to play this very important role, and we know you’ll always be our shipmates.”
Answering the Call
Dail noted that he formerly served as deputy commander at TRANSCOM and has long been acquainted with the maritime industry’s role in U.S. national and economic security.
He further stated that the labor movement is “critical to our efforts here in the Department of Defense.”
Looking back at the merchant marine’s role throughout history, he recalled, “Eisenhower, Truman, Roosevelt— they’ve all accurately described the contributions that you make to our national defense. ‘Irreplaceable’ was their term. Post-World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Balkans, the first Desert Storm, Desert Shield, then the Persian Gulf. You were there. You made us a success. You were our partner. We could trust you with the very livelihood that our troops needed to conduct the business that the national leaders told us to do.
“And since 9/11, maritime and other affiliated memberships have been active in helping us protect our great American life, helping us execute the global war on terror,” he continued. “You’ve also helped us to respond in our greatest role—in our greatest character—and that is our response to natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina.”
Dail called attention to the fact that many trade unionists have answered their nation’s call not only as part of the fourth arm of defense, but through military service. He described them as “great patriots,” noting they have served and continue serving in reserve forces and in the National Guard.
“They have deployed overseas. They have seen action. They have served to a very high standard of honor. They have bravely and courageously served their nation. And I thank you for making it so important of a value for the men and women that serve in your ranks that they would want to serve their country in uniform. One thing I have come to know as I have been with you over these several years is that that every rank-and-file member of your Maritime Trades Department membership has a deep love of country. And it’s underscored every time I meet one of them as I move around and go out across the world.”
Dail said he has seen firsthand the materiel delivered to U.S. troops overseas that moved by ship, and those sights helped reinforce his belief that America’s maritime capabilities “are critical to our national defense and security. I have seen the trust and confidence that is built between our nation and our troops, knowing that wherever they are, we will deliver the goods to them and we will get them there and bring them home.”
He concluded, “We all in the military leadership have a strong commitment to labor, government and industry relations, forming a capability that is second to none. Thank you for your leadership, your friendship and your commitment to the partnership.”
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