News

On any given day, up to 200 Midshipmen of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) are at sea around the world engaged in essential training on U.S.-flag commercial vessels. Many of these vessels are contracted with the U.S. government for deployment in wartime to transport the weaponry, supplies, and fuel without which our military forces cannot prevail.

Two USMMA midshipmen are currently training aboard an ARC cargo vessel, the U.S.-flag Integrity, delivering the first shipment of Bradley Fighting Vehicles to Ukraine.

The ARC Integrity is part of the Maritime Security Program (MSP) and is required by law to provide training for USMMA Midshipmen. This training, often known as “Sea Year,” is a key component of the unrivaled education Cadets receive while at USMMA, one of our nation’s five federal service academies.

Midshipmen, all of whom are military-service obligated, spend 12 months at sea engaged in rigorous experiential training that will qualify them to serve immediately upon graduation as Strategic Sealift Officers (SSOs). This is the U.S. Navy Reserve SSO force, over 80% of whom are USMMA graduates, that provides the officers who will command and crew MSP and other commercial vessels when deployed in military sealift operations.

You can read more about the tanks’ delivery voyage here.