“You’re going to bind the muscles of American commerce and that’s a simple reality because as small as our Merchant Marine may be today, it is absolutely essential. It’s in every war plan that I review, I guarantee because you’re going to be the fourth arm of defense. You’re going to sustain our allies and fuel our ships and ferry our warriors. It’s as simple as that and we’re going to need you as we see the storm clouds gather elsewhere as our diplomats are in a position where we have to buy time for them to solve problems. You can’t buy time as an armed force.”
Secretary of Defense James Mattis, June 2018
“We are fortunate to have a wide variety of mechanisms like the Maritime Security Program, Jones Act, Cargo Preference, Voluntary Intermodal Sealift Agreement or VISA. These programs all provide operations to project power on behalf of the nation.”
Lt. Gen. John J. Broadmeadow, TRANSCOM Deputy Commander, October 2018
“From Desert Storm to Bosnia, from Afghanistan to Operation Iraqi Freedom, America’s Merchant Mariners continue to serve on the leading edge of our defense transportation system, carrying the combat equipment and supplies needed by our joint warfighters. To carry that logistics power to the fight, we have always relied on our Merchant Marine. And they have always answered the call. Despite the dangers and long separations from home, our U.S. Merchant Marine has sailed in harm’s way time and time again to make sure that American warfighters and our allies have had the supplies they need to overwhelm our adversaries.”
Rear Admiral Dee Mewbourne, Commander, Military Sealift Command, November 2018
“Here’s what happens if we repeal the Jones Act. All our coastwise trade will probably be done by a third nation, namely China-not just coatwise trade, but plying our inland river systems as well. If we’re looking at, hey, we can lower the cost of doing business, we can have a third nation do it on our behalf. The next thing that goes away are our maritime academies, You don’t need them because we have foreign mariners. We don’t know who they are, but they’re foreign mariners plying our waters, and our internal waters as well, to conduct maritime commerce, which is a $4.6 trillion enterprise in the United States. And then the next thing that goes is our shipyards, our shipyards and the technology that goes with the shipyards…This is not the time and place to go after the Jones Act.”
Adm. Paul F. Zukunft, Commandant, United States Coast Guard, May 2018
“When the United States goes to war, USTRANSCOM moves 90 percent of its cargo requirements with the strategic sealift fleet, which consists of government-owned ships augmented by the commercial U.S.-flagged fleet,..The ability to deploy a decisive force is foundational to the National Defense Strategy, as the size and lethality of the force is of little consequence if we are unable to project power in the pursuit of national objectives. Therefore, the readiness of the entire strategic sealift portfolio, both organic and commercial, remains the top priority for USTRANSCOM.”
General Darren W. McDew, Commander, United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), April 2018
“The Jones Act really is the linchpin. It is foundational to our merchant marine as it is today. It’s the ships; it’s the mariners, which are critical. And it’s the infrastructure that supports the shipbuilding and ship repair part of the industry and all of the supply chain that has impact on our government shipbuilding programs as well. The costs of all of those and the availability of shipbuilders are greatly impacted by that. So (the Jones Act) has far ranging impact.”
Admiral Mark H. Buzby, Administrator, U.S. Maritime Administration, March 2018
“The Jones Act from a war fighting perspective is all about the mariners and the ability to keep mariners trained and ready for war. The ships that are in the Jones Act are also useful, but the primary thing we get from the Jones Act are the mariners. And those mariners have been with us in every conflict that I can imagine and suffered great loss and still stay with us.”
General Darren W. McDew, Commander, U.S. Transportation Command, March, 2018
“MSP (Maritime Security Program) vessels have been key contributors to our Nation’s efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq over the last decade, moving over 50 percent of all military cargo — over 26 million tons — to the Middle East. Since 2009, MSP carriers have moved over 90 percent of the ocean-borne cargo needed to support U.S. military operations and rebuilding programs in both countries.”
Administrator Paul Jaenichen, Maritime Administration, November 2015
“We need to pay attention to those who say the Jones Act is archaic. No, the Jones Act is absolutely essential for this nation’s mariners, for the shipbuilding industry and for all that are involved on the ocean. It is critical in every way.”
Rep. John Garamendi (CA-3), April, 2015
“The reduction in government-impelled cargoes due to the drawdown in Afghanistan and reductions in food aid … are driving vessel owners to reflag to non-U.S.-flag out of economic necessity … With recent vessel reductions, the mariner base is at the point where future reductions in U.S.-flag capacity puts our ability to fully activate, deploy and sustain forces at increased risk.”
General Paul Selva, Commander of the United States Transportation Command, March 2015
“The Jones Act helps to shore up our national security by providing reliable sealift in times of war. It ensures our ongoing viability as on ocean power by protecting American shipbuilding. As a result, the Jones Act provides solid, well-paying jobs for nearly half a million Americans from Virginia to Hawaii. In short, the Jones Act promotes national security and American job creation.”
Sen. Mazie Hirono, United States Senate, January 16, 2015
“The Jones Act keeps jobs, ships and a maritime Skill Base in the United States — and any effort to diminish this longstanding law is sure to negatively impact America’s maritime industry and its significant contributions to the national economy.”
Chairman Duncan Hunter, House Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcomittee, January 15, 2015
“America’s open seas have long been a source of prosperity and strength, and since before our Nation’s founding, the men and women of the United States Merchant Marine have defended them. From securing Atlantic routes during the naval battles of the Revolutionary War to supplying our Armed Forces around the world in the 21st century…Today’s Merchant Marine upholds its generations-long role as our ‘fourth arm of defense.'”
President Barack Obama, May, 2014
“The United States continues to rely upon the commercial U.S.-flag ships, American shipyards and American Merchant Mariners for its military sealift strategy.”
Chairman Duncan Hunter, House Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee, April, 2014
“American shipyards, vessels and sailors provide for secure domestic commerce on our waterways and provide our Navy with a reserve component in times of war. During Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom (2002 – 2008), U.S.-flag commercial vessels, including those drawn from the domestic trades, transported 57 percent of all military cargoes moved to Afghanistan and Iraq. As important, the American domestic fleet also provided fully half of the mariners used to crew U.S. government-owned sealift vessels activated from reserve status, which carried an additional 40 percent of the total cargoes delivered.”
Rep. Bradley Byrne (AL-1), April, 2014
“Waterborne commerce and our nation’s maritime base are vital to America’s economy, security and quality of life. I’m proud to stand in support of the Jones Act, which is critical to our national security and a public policy success story.”
Rep. Steve Scalise (LA-1), April, 2014
“…Preserving a strong U.S.-flag commercial fleet is also an important component of our strategic sealift capability. Relying on the privately-owned, U.S.-flag commercial merchant marine fleet as a source for national defense sealift benefits the U.S. military in many ways; it provides global reach, access to valuable commercial inter-modal capacity, immediate guaranteed access, reduced U.S. military footprint and logistics tail, strategic capacity reserve, and access to U.S. merchant mariners.”
General William M. Fraser III, Commander, United States Transportation Command, February 2014
