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The U.S. Government Accountability Office is the latest organization to call out the deteriorating infrastructure at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.

In a jarring report issued on Aug. 6, the GAO pointed to “inadequate and outdated facilities that have been poorly maintained. These facilities exhibit crumbling facades, leaking pipes, and water damage.”

This article in Military.com “Merchant Marine Academy Slow to Address ‘Crumbling Facades, Leaking Pipes and Water Damage’ on Campus, GAO Finds” summarized the report well.

Matt Barranca, the assistant director of the GAO’s Physical Infrastructure Team, told Military.com in an interview that USMMA officials acknowledged that infrastructure deficiencies could harm efforts to recruit new Midshipmen to the campus, causing some to go elsewhere.

According to Mr. Barranca, “[GAO was] told, though, by academy officials that this is something that affects their ability to compete against similar institutions, because there’s so much choice out there. While the academy is very attractive to students. … These are students that are also very competitive and have a range of opportunities out there.”

The GAO Report also points out the management shortcomings of the U.S. Maritime Administration, which oversees the Academy. The researchers write that any progress made in recent years is “fragile” because the Department of Transportation lacks the leadership and strategic vision “necessary to address long-standing challenges with campus conditions.”

We are grateful to the GAO for adding yet another important voice to the call for a sustained long-term effort to modernize the Academy.

It cannot be said too often: we cannot win a war without a viable military sealift. And we do not have a viable sealift without the militarily obligated merchant marine officers produced by the USMMA. The infrastructure required to provide USMMA Midshipmen the specialized education and training they need to fulfill their mission has been ignored for decades.

It is long past time for the USMMA campus to be made worthy of their commitment to serve our nation. The AAF believes it is imperative that the Full Speed Ahead Plan, which has bipartisan support, be authorized and year one funded by Congress within the FY 2025 NDAA or by passing H.R. 8498, introduced by Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY).