Thread by @mercoglianos

1/This @thedailybeast story does not capture the complete picture of the events unfolding on the vessels operated by @MSCSealift. These ships provide needed fuel & support to naval combatants.

MSC ships represent 1/5th of the active @USNavy fleet...

thedailybeast.com/theyve-been-tr…

2/They have a divided command chain between @US_TRANSCOM & @USFleetForces. The Navy doesn't like the #sealift mission & want to divest itself of the transport ships but keep the underway replenishment ships like #USNSAmeliaEarhart. The problem is they don't have enough sailors.

3/Since 1972, the Navy has operated UNREP ships with merchant marine crews. Since 2010, all Navy auxiliaries have mariners on-board, although some serve under master mariners & others under line naval officers - referred to as hybrid manning.

4/When the Army Transport Service was transferred to MSC in 1949, it inherited the concept of government employed merchant mariners.

Previously the Navy used contract operation through commercial firms (which is still done for #sealift ships), but civilian mariners are govt.

5/As govt employees they operated under Federal employment rules, even though they are 24/7 on board ships.

A new hire, has to work 10 months out of the year for only 2 months home. The commercial standard is usually 1 to 1 on/off ship.

civmar.sealiftcommand.com/benefits/leave…

6/Mariners employed at sea have the same policy as those working on land (with the addition of 14 days of shore leave). Yet they don't get to go home at night, weekends, have holidays off, or any day off while assigned to the ship.

You may say, well neither does the military?

7/But mariners are denied the same privileges as those in the military. They don't get veteran benefits even though they are in charge of vessels in the unified command structure, unlike contractors. They are also not subject to operation & personnel tempo restrictions.

8/Meaning that ships like #USNSAmeliaEarhart could be kept put at sea for prolonged periods of time. The @USNavy cannot replace them with sailors because they lack the numbers and the overall cost per mariner is cheaper than training career sailors. That comes to March 2020.

9/The initial Gangway Up order aimed to protect the mission and ships of @MSCSealift, but not specifically the crews. The fact that naval and contractors were allowed to board and debark ships while mariners were restricted demonstrated this fact.

pogo.org/investigation/…

10/When the unions representing the mariners - @MMP_Union @SeafarersUnion @MEBAUNION - protested on behalf of their members they were informed by @MSCSealift that it was in the master's control. Yet these masters knew they walked a tightrope between command & their jobs.

11/This situation led to a piece that I published in @CIMSEC that argued for reforms throughout the @MSCSealift command structure.

Specifically calling for the integration of active mariners into the shoreside organization and reform leave.

cimsec.org/why-military-s…

12/Others have raised this concern, notably @johnkonrad @gCaptain with his articles on the rise of China and the decline of the American maritime sector.

While the @USNavy focuses on the 355, or 500, or 1000 ship Navy, the merchant marine is dying.

gcaptain.com/usmma-kings-po…

13/The plight of Jonathan Morris, his shipmates and all the mariners that sail for @MSCSealift - both government and contract employed - should be a factor in Navy and National Defense strategy and policy.

But they are not to our potential detriment.

usni.org/magazines/proc…

14/There are well funded efforts out there to promote the end of the American maritime sector by @CatoInstitute @AEI @ceidotorg.

They compare US ships to those built overseas in subsidized yards & crewed by low earning mariners stuck at sea for months.

cato.org/publications/p…

15/I worked for @MSCSealift afloat & ashore. I met my wife on board one of their ships & have devoted my academic research to their history.

Of the many issues facing @USNavy today, and there are a lot, this is one that @USNavyCNO @SECNAV & @EsperDoD should be concerned about.

16/@MSCSealift is now actively recruiting for a record hire due to issues with their current set of mariners under the "Gangway Up" order. With the declining maritime base, the nation does not have an indefinite number of experienced mariners to tap into.

gcaptain.com/military-seali…

17/The positions now available @MSCSealift. It is interesting to see them hiring 3rd Mates as there are many licensed mates sailing as Able Bodied Seamen waiting for spots. It is also interesting that they are bringing in 1st Mates from outside the command to fill vacancies.