News

USMMA Alumni Association and Foundation President & CEO Jim Tobin filmed this short video in which he shares his thoughts on the Academy’s role in protecting our nation since its founding eighty years ago this week.

According to Capt. Tobin, while it is fitting to celebrate the Academy’s past, a more important mission awaits the USMMA tomorrow: the nation simply cannot win future wars without a strong Merchant Marine – or the service-obligated mariners produced by the USMMA.

To ensure the Academy can continue to serve the nation for another 80 years, Capt. Tobin makes a convincing case that Congress must mandate and fund a complete modernization of the Academy’s aging infrastructure: “The campus has been overlooked for decades and its infrastructure remains essentially unchanged since its founding. We don’t have the luxury of time because the world is arguably more dangerous today than it was even in FDR’s time.”

In the video’s closing, Capt. Tobin expresses his optimism that – understanding what is at stake – Congress will take appropriate action and commits the AAF to doing all it can to ensure the USMMA can serve the nation for another 80 years.