MARAD: Campus Use of Training Ships Shouldn't Conflict With Gov't Missions
The National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV) TS Empire State VII will be returning to her berth at SUNY Maritime sooner than expected, thanks to the cancelation of a 170-day national-security deployment. She is coming back in better condition, thanks to thousands of dollars in MARAD-funded repairs and upgrades. But the side effects will take time to work out: The requisition of the vessel caused unexpected disruption for cadet training arrangements, and Maritime Administrator Capt. Stephen Carmel is determined to have activation go more smoothly next time.
At the root, Carmel says, is a conflict over the nature of the vessel's dual mission. Because the five NSMVs are moored and idle for most of the year, and are government-owned, they were designed as assets that would be available for government missions when not out on training cruises. But over the years, the ships' day-to-day role at the maritime academies appears to have expanded, Carmel says. When Empire State got called up for deployment, it became clear that she was in active use for instruction throughout the academic year.
"There has been a drift in the role of the ships and the way the schools are using them," says Carmel. "The ships are not intended to be a substitute for shoreside infrastructure. And as soon as you start using them as a substitute for shoreside infrastructure, you're going to have a problem, which is what we had here."
For its part, SUNY Maritime sees the NSMV as a component of the campus, and it says that the 170-day length of this particular deployment would disrupt coursework and licensing. "The only time we don’t have students on there learning and training is when they’re home on break," SUNY Maritime President Rear Adm. John Okon (USN, ret'd) told the Times Union in September. "The length of the deployment is problematic. It is going to create some gaps."
Empire State is integrated into the curricula for seven courses in SUNY Maritime's fall semester in order to incorporate hands-on work with shipboard systems into cadet training. Options for alternatives were discussed with MARAD, but no full-scale substitutes were finalized, according to the college.
"Some individual instructional activities can be supported ashore through simulators, models, portable equipment, or commercial training providers. What cannot be fully replicated is the integrated experience of learning aboard the actual training vessel on which our cadets will live, train, stand watches, and perform duties during Sea Term," said Rear Adm. Okon in a statement. "Activations of Empire State VII for missions extending beyond 90 days are unprecedented in the college’s experience."
Despite these challenges for the college, Empire State was still the best available vessel for this particular mission, according to Maritime Administrator Carmel. He issued a decision memo to formalize the ship's activation on August 28, and the process to transition the vessel to military service got under way.
He is determined to make sure that the activation of an NSMV goes more smoothly next time. That might mean designating one ship at a time for "hot standby," or conducting more oversight to make sure that all the academies are ready to provide instruction on shore. His team is working with the state maritime academies' presidents to figure out the best combination of policies.
"We should be able to execute a mission like this with no drama," Carmel says. "No fuss, no muss, and we're done."
The good news is that in her brief voyage under Navy control, Empire State has performed well, and will be returning to the pier in better shape than ever.
"We are already in negotiations with other departments in the government to activate these for missions of national priority," Carmel says. "This is going to happen again, and it's because they are such capable ships. The quality of the berthing, the number of people they can carry, and the ability to do classified work is just a combination that doesn't exist anywhere else."
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SUNY Maritime says that it is supportive of the NSMV's dual mission and will work with MARAD to improve the activation process, but that the ship's primary task is education.
"The goal should be to accomplish federal missions while protecting the capacity of [SUNY] Maritime College to educate and train the next generation of American merchant mariners," Rear Adm. Okon said. "Empire State is integrated into our year-round academic programs, and the importance of having the vessel available pier-side throughout the academic year cannot be overstated."
