The primary readiness concern of U.S. Transportation Command is sealift and air refueling, stated Air Drive Gen. Jacqueline D. Van Ovost, Transcom’s commander.
Van Ovost testified yesterday earlier than the Home Armed Companies Committee relating to the posture of the Protection Division’s mobility enterprise and funding.
“Sealift is the spine of our means to ship a decisive joint power. Nevertheless, the age of the fleet is dragging readiness charges to alarming ranges,” she stated, noting that 17 of the 47 Prepared Reserve Drive ships are 50 years or older.
“To handle readiness and the lowering capability as a result of deliberate retirements of 27 ships within the subsequent eight years, we should add youthful ships to the fleet,” Van Ovost stated.
Transcom helps the Navy’s technique to amass used sealift vessels from the industrial market and its request to offer the protection secretary with discretionary authority to buy foreign-built, used ships underneath favorable market circumstances with out restrictions, she stated.
“We acknowledge Congress’ intent to incorporate home, new-build sealift ships to recapitalize the Prepared Reserve Drive, and we’re working with the Navy and the Maritime Administration to create an acquisition technique for brand spanking new building,” she stated.
The overall then turned to the subject of air refueling.
“Air refueling is foundational to our nation’s power-projection benefit. It’s our most careworn functionality. We should guarantee steady modernization and recapitalization of the ageing fleet to satisfy the operational necessities of the fashionable battlespace,” Van Ovost stated.
Transcom helps the Air Drive’s technique for uninterrupted tanker recapitalization and accelerated fielding of the subsequent era air refueling programs, she stated.
Over the previous 12 months, Transcom has made nice strides diversifying its bulk gasoline distribution and supply system by having an elevated ahead presence with gasoline afloat in contracted maritime tankers and rising capability and entry to the U.S.-flagged maritime tanker fleet by the Tanker Safety Program, she stated.
Transcom absolutely helps the Maritime Safety Program, the Jones Act and cargo desire legal guidelines that each one work to make sure Transcom has the mandatory U.S.-flagged functionality and U.S. service provider mariners prepared to maneuver delicate protection supplies throughout a nationwide emergency, she stated.
Maritime stakeholders have been experiencing challenges with recruiting and retaining certified mariners, she stated.
Transcom helps MARAD and business efforts to determine methods that handle the mariner scarcity and guarantee their readiness, she stated.
The overall additionally emphasised the significance of congressional reauthorization of the International Intelligence Surveillance Act to guard Transcom’s logistics networks from adversaries. “The lack of this authority provides danger to my mission,” she stated.
Van Ovost additionally advised lawmakers that passing the protection supplemental funding is significant to the well being of the Transportation Working Capital Fund, which preserves protection readiness.
Ann Phillips, administrator of MARAD, testified that her company’s mission is to advertise and develop the U.S. maritime business to satisfy the nation’s financial and safety wants.
The president’s fiscal 12 months 2025 price range request of $859.7 million for Marad will allow the company to proceed to strengthen its sealift functionality by advancing recapitalization of the Prepared Reserve Drive and important industrial sealift applications that assist U.S.-flagged vessels working in overseas commerce.
The 2025 price range requests $974 million from DOD budgetary authority for MARAD to amass, improve and preserve vessels within the Nationwide Protection Reserve Fleet and Prepared Reserve Drive. “These funds will assist MARAD to maintain the fleet in a prepared, dependable and responsive situation to make sure MARAD can meet the nation’s strategic sealift wants,” Phillips stated.
The Prepared Reserve Drive consists of 48 vessels which can be a median of over 45 years in age, and they’re maintained in a lowered working standing because of this, she stated.
This fleet will broaden to 51 vessels by the top of the subsequent fiscal 12 months with the deliberate switch of vessels from the Navy Sealift Command. MARAD is liable for sustaining these ageing ships as a part of the Navy’s Sealift Recapitalization Plan, Phillips stated.
“We’re actively advancing pressing recapitalization of the RRF utilizing congressional authority to buy vessels by a contracted vessel acquisition supervisor,” she stated.
The 2025 price range additionally requests $318 million for the Maritime Safety Program to assist 60 commercially viable, militarily helpful vessels, she stated.
The price range additionally requests $60 million for the 10-vessel Tanker Safety Program. These ships will present DOD with dependable entry to tankers, she stated.
MARAD is collaborating with stakeholders to deal with the mariner scarcity, she stated.
The 2025 price range request contains $191 million to assist U.S. Service provider Marine Academy operations and MARAD’s Capital Asset Administration Program for the academy. It additionally requests $87 million to assist maritime academies in six states, she stated.