MARITIME ADMINISTRATION PREPARED STATEMENT OF ALBERT J. HERBERGER, MARITIME Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee: I welcome the opportunity to discuss with you the Maritime Administration's Fiscal Year 1997 budget request. Title of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936 states that "It is necessary for the national defense and development of its foreign and domestic commerce that the United States shall have a merchant marine...." The Maritime Administration is responsible for ensuring the maintenance of an adequate American merchant marine to promote the commerce of the United States and to aid in the national defense. To carry out this broad responsibility we strive to assure: (1) an active fleet of privately-owned and operated commercial vessels; (2) a sufficient supply of trained and efficient personnel to crew these ships and the Government sealift ships; (3) a Government-owned reserve fleet of cargo vessels which can be activated during national emergencies; and (4) support to other maritime-related activities that further the national interests of the United States. Overview The Maritime Administration's FY 1997 budget request reflects the President's commitment to maintaining the status of the United States as a maritime nation. From a military perspective, the value of the US-flag merchant fleet is most visible during emergencies or war time. Privately-owned American merchant ships and our civilian seafarers served with honor during World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, and humanitarian efforts such as operations Restore Hope, Uphold Democracy, and, most recently, Joint Endeavor in Bosnia. With the end of the Cold War, we are shifting from large forces stationed overseas to a U.S.-based "power-projection" deployment strategy. In the absence of timely sealift, the strategic concept of power projection of heavy forces and global reach will be merely hypothetical. The commercial U.S.-flag fleet is a cost-effective source of military sealift. A key element of this year's budget is the Maritime Security Program (MSP). The new program will foster a modern, competitive American merchant marine at substantially lower costs than the existing operating-differential subsidy (ODS) program and seeks to ensure the continued operation of merchant ships under the American flag by skilled American civilian seafarers. It also provides supplemental sealift capacity and an intermodal system which can be made available when needed to support the nation's armed services. MARITIME ADMINISTRATION PREPARED STATEMENT OF ALBERT J. HERBERGER, MARITIME Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee: I welcome the opportunity to discuss with you the Maritime Administration's Fiscal Year 1997 budget request. Title I of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936 states that "It is necessary for the national defense and development of its foreign and domestic commerce that the United States shall have a merchant marine...." The Maritime Administration is responsible for ensuring the maintenance of an adequate American merchant marine to promote the commerce of the United States and to aid in the national defense. To carry out this broad responsibility we strive to assure: (1) an active fleet of privately-owned and operated commercial vessels; (2) a sufficient supply of trained and efficient personnel to crew these ships and the Government sealift ships; (3) a Government-owned reserve fleet of cargo vessels which can be activated during national emergencies; and (4) support to other maritime-related activities that further the national interests of the United States. Overview The Maritime Administration's FY 1997 budget request reflects the President's commitment to maintaining the status of the United States as a maritime nation. From a military perspective, the value of the US-flag merchant fleet is most visible during emergencies or war time. Privately-owned American merchant ships and our civilian seafarers served with honor during World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, and humanitarian efforts such as operations Restore Hope, Uphold Democracy, and, most recently, Joint Endeavor in Bosnia. With the end of the Cold War, we are shifting from large forces stationed overseas to a U.S.-based "power-projection" deployment strategy. In the absence of timely sealift, the strategic concept of power projection of heavy forces and global reach will be merely hypothetical. The commercial U.S.-flag fleet is a cost-effective source of military sealift. A key element of this year's budget is the Maritime Security Program (MSP). The new program will foster a modern, competitive American merchant marine at substantially lower costs than the existing operating-differential subsidy (ODS) program and seeks to ensure the continued operation of merchant ships under the American flag by skilled American civilian seafarers. It also provides supplemental sealift capacity and an intermodal system which can be made available when needed to support the nation's armed services. |