Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Sealift Recapitalization topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senators urge recapitalization of sealift, Transcom asks Congress for authority to buy more used ships
Summary
Lawmakers pressed Transcom on an aging Ready Reserve Force, sidelined Military Sealift Command vessels, and a request to raise the current statutory limit on purchasing used foreign ships so the command can recapitalize faster.
Senators pressed U.S. Transportation Command on the condition of the nation’s sealift and the Ready Reserve Force, and the Transcom witness said short-term purchases of younger used ships plus long-term shipbuilding are needed to restore capacity.
Why it matters: Sea lift and merchant mariners underpin the U.S. military’s ability to surge forces worldwide. Committee members said aging government-owned surge sealift and sidelined Military Sealift Command (MSC) ships risk shortening the nation’s margin in a high-end fight.
During the hearing, the witness said recapitalization requires both domestic shipbuilding and purchases of suitable younger used vessels. “We need to both build here, and we actually need to buy used,” he told the committee. He requested that Congress raise the existing cap on buying foreign-built used ships beyond the current limit, asking to increase the number authorized by an additional 10 ships to allow Transcom to “shop the market.”
Transcom provided a near-term target to Congress: ideally recapitalize about four ships per year, with a minimum of two per year if the market provides fewer options. The witness said buying and refurbishing younger used ships and reflagging them in the United States — typically with 9–14 months in a U.S. shipyard before reflagging — would help preserve and stabilize the civilian mariner workforce.
Committee members also emphasized the role of the Jones Act and cargo-preference laws in maintaining a U.S. merchant fleet and industrial base. The witness said the Jones Act supports a U.S. fleet, a pool of trained crews and the ability to surge commercial resources in support of national needs.
Senators noted other specialized sealift shortfalls. The command acknowledged that cable-laying and certain specialty vessels are few and older, and that those platforms also need modernization.
The committee signaled interest in an NDAA change to increase the foreign-purchase cap and in ensuring the maritime industrial base and merchant mariner workforce are sustained as recapitalization moves forward.
