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July 1, 2021
The United States Merchant Marine Academy
Background
the maritime work force, 38,900 deck officers, and 8,700
The U.S. Merchant Marine consists of U.S.-flag vessels and
ship engineers.
their crews of U.S. citizens or nationals, commonly called
merchant mariners. While there has been congressional
The superintendent of USMMA is its chief executive
interest in maritime policy since the founding of the United
officer and typically is appointed as a rear or vice admiral
States, legislation related to training and qualifying the
in the U.S. Maritime Service. There is a Board of Visitors
maritime workforce was uncommon until the latter half of
for USMMA with membership that includes five
the 19th century. Economic distress in the shipping industry
Presidential appointees, three members of the Senate, and
caused by the American Civil War prompted congressional
five members of the House of Representatives. The
efforts to reverse this decline, including legislation intended
Secretary of Transportation appoints an advisory board that
to increase the number and quality of merchant mariners.
is required to consult the superintendent and MARAD
Two federal entities currently share responsibility for the
Administrator on academic and management matters.
Merchant Marine. The Maritime Administration (MARAD)
Enacted budget data for USMMA is in Table 1.
manages federal shipping and ocean transportation
programs. It also operates the only federal maritime
Table 1. Fiscal Year Enacted Budget ($000)
academy for merchant marine officers—the U.S. Merchant
USMMA
2017
2018
2019
2020
Marine Academy (USMMA) at Kings Point, New York.
The U.S. Coast Guard administers commercial vessel and
Operations
69,000
68,531
70,593
80,216
merchant mariner oversight programs.
Capital Assets
14,218
14,121
18,000
5,225
Forming a National Maritime Academy
Total
83,218
82,652
88,593
85,441
The concept for a federal institution that would train
merchant marine officers arose from concerns over crew
Source: MARAD at https://www.transportation.gov/budget.
shortages during World War I. Navy personnel were drawn
from combat vessels, particularly mobilized members of
Approximately 265 U.S. citizens or nationals are admitted
State Naval Militias qualified as merchant mariners, to fully
to USMMA each year. Admission is competitive and
crew Merchant Marine ships. There also was growing
applicants must meet certain eligibility requirements.
congressional concern about the oversight and
Around 225 appointments are made through nominations
professionalism of the merchant mariner workforce as
by Members of Congress and other nominating officials.
maritime accidents increased in number and severity during
The MARAD Administrator is authorized to make 40
the post-war period.
additional appointments without nomination or competition.
Additionally, up to 42 international students designated by
The Merchant Marine Act of 1936 established the U.S.
their home country may be admitted to USMMA.
Maritime Commission with broad responsibilities that
included training programs. The Commission established
USMMA first admitted women in 1974. Students in fall
the Merchant Marine Cadet Corps to train individuals
2019 were 79% male and 21% female (see Table 2 for race
without maritime experience to be merchant marine
and ethnicity data). The average size of the USMMA
officers. At its outset, the only training option for the new
student population from 2017 to 2020 was 960; the average
program was to train-at-sea on merchant ships because the
for each year’s graduating class during the same period was
Commission had no existing capacity for a shore-based
193. Graduation requirements include:
school-ship program. By 1942 however, there was a
completing the academic program;
regional shore-based site with training facilities and student
accumulating 360 days of sea service; and
housing in New York, California, and Mississippi. The
obtaining a deck officer or ship engineer license.
Commission disestablished the western and southern sites
in 1947. This left the eastern site at Kings Point as a long-
USMMA provides its students room, board, and tuition
term campus for USMMA; it acquired permanence as a
valued at approximately $300,000 over 4 years. USMMA
service academy in 1956.
does not pay them a salary. Students are responsible for
some attendance expenses (around $5,000 per student for
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
the 2020-2021 academic year). Students at other service
USMMA is a four-year educational institution providing
academies also attend without charge but they receive a
Bachelor of Science degrees to successful candidates who
salary ($1,185 per month in 2021) that exceeds their
must become qualified for dual-service as military sealift
necessary expenses. The cost per student at USMMA for
officers and licensed merchant mariners. In 2019, the
fiscal years 2017 to 2020 is in Table 3.
Department of Labor reported 47,600 licensed mariners in
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Table 2. Service Academy Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity
Service Academies
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Multi
Other/ND
U.S. Merchant Marine
79%
1%
6%
7%
4%
3%
U.S. Army
64%
12%
10%
8%
3%
3%
U.S. Air Force
64%
7%
11%
6%
7%
5%
U.S. Coast Guard
63%
6%
11%
7%
10%
3%
U.S. Navy
61%
7%
12%
7%
10%
3%
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, College Navigator at https://nces.ed.gov/col egenavigator/.
Notes: Data are from 2019; Percentages are rounded; “Multi” includes two or more races; “Other/ND” includes Native Hawai an, Pacific
Islanders, American Indian, Alaska Natives, or not determined (unknown).
Table 5. SSOP Service Data for USMMA Graduates
P.L. 116-92 (§3513) requires the National Academy of Public
Administration (NAPA) to assess USMMA and make
Service
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
recommendations for systemic change and improvement.
Deck SSO
70
53
69
69
57
Engine SSO
93
68
66
59
69
Table 3. Fiscal Year Cost Per Student
Total SSO
163
121
135
128
126
USMMA
2017
2018
2019
2020
SSOP
71%
69%
68%
64%
60%
Cost/Student
$76,607
$71,831
$65,350
$73,383
Source: USMMA Legislative Liaison.
Source: MARAD CFO Directive-16; USMMA Legislative Liaison.
Issues for Congress
Service Obligation
USMMA oversight is complex because it supports both
USMMA graduates incur a service obligation that can be
national security strategy and national maritime policy.
met by merchant mariner licensure for six years and armed
These broad responsibilities require it to have links with
services reserve service for eight years, both are fulfilled
various federal agencies and congressional committees.
concurrently (See Table 4). Alternatively, graduates can
meet their obligation by serving on active duty for five
Student Diversity
years in any uniformed service or working for the federal
Studying whether attendance expenses and the absence of
government in a civilian maritime role for five years.
salary affect the recruitment of underrepresented groups
may aid any examination of USMMA student diversity.
Table 4. Federal Service Data for USMMA Graduates
Student Protection
Service
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
Congress authorized a sexual assault response program at
Active Military
56
52
54
72
81
USMMA in 2016. CRS is unable to determine if its Navy
Reserve midshipmen are also included in the Navy’s sexual
Reserve Military
166
121
140
128
126
assault prevention and response (SAPR) program. Studying
Source: USMMA Legislative Liaison.
whether USMMA’s program offers services and protection
Notes: “Reserve Military” includes al armed services. For specific
equivalent to the Navy’s could determine if the intended
Strategic Sealift service data in the U.S. Navy Reserve, see Table 5.
student safety and well-being outcomes are comparable
under both programs. USMMA midshipmen have a military
U.S. Navy Reserve
status but they are the only service academy students not
USMMA students must enlist in the U.S. Navy Reserve
within the jurisdiction of the Defense Advisory Committee
(USNR) Strategic Sealift Midshipmen Program (SSMP).
for the Prevention of Sexual Misconduct (Committee
Sealift Midshipmen are not subject to discipline under the
members directly advise the Secretary of Homeland
Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) as students at
Security for the Coast Guard Academy).
USMMA, while students at other service academies are
Academy Mission
subject to the UCMJ and military criminal investigations.
SSMP is an education and training program administered
Congress may consider how USMMA can expand its
by the Navy through the Department of Naval Science at
mission and capacity to address maritime competitor
USMMA. The program’s purpose is to qualify participants
nations with adversarial national security policies. This
for service in the Navy’s Strategic Sealift Officer Program
could include a larger student population and graduates
(SSOP). Unless they choose to work in the federal civil
specialized in competitive intelligence, maritime unmanned
service or serve on active duty in the uniformed services,
navigation, and multimodal transport cyber security.
the Navy commissions each qualified graduate as a USNR
strategic sealift officer (SSO) with the rank of ensign (O1).
Alan Ott, Analyst in Defense and Intelligence Personnel
SSOs are assigned to the Strategic Sealift Readiness Group
Policy
(SSRG) in the Navy’s Individual Ready Reserve (IRR).
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The United States Merchant Marine Academy
IF11868
Disclaimer
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