The U.S. Navy is facing a significant challenge as it reportedly plans to sideline 17 vessels due to a manpower shortage that is making it difficult to properly crew and operate ships across the fleet. According to Rear Admiral (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, senior director of the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation for the Foundation for Defense of Democracy, there just aren’t enough Merchant Marines to keep all the ships going at once.
Merchant Marines play a crucial role in operating the support vessels needed to keep the Navy running smoothly. However, with ships at sea for 12 months of the year, the Navy requires two crews, and there is a desperate shortage of personnel to fill these roles.
The Military Sealift Command has drafted a plan to put 17 ships into “extended maintenance,” which would involve redistributing crews to other vessels across the Navy. This effort, known as the “great reset,” is awaiting approval from Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti and aims to reduce Navy demands for officers by 700 mariners.
Montgomery emphasized the importance of Merchant Marines in maintaining the logistics backbone of the Navy, including oilers, ammo ships, and transport ships. The lack of experienced mariners poses a clear danger to national security, he added.
The Navy’s 30-year shipbuilding plan includes the decommissioning of 48 ships over a four-year period, with the first year seeing the retirement of 10 ships. The age of the ships in the reserve force is a concern, with 17 of them being over 50 years old.
Overall, the shortage of manpower in the Merchant Marine sector is posing a significant challenge for the U.S. Navy, impacting its ability to crew and operate ships effectively. The Navy’s efforts to address this issue will be crucial in ensuring national security and the smooth operation of its fleet.
