Review and Analysis of United States Policy: U.S. Military Use of Commercial Sealift

摘要

This paper examines the history of Executive and Congressional legislative mandates governing United States military use of U.S. commercial sealift in times of peace and during times of national emergencies or war. It reviews the Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration's role in managing the National Defense Reserve and the Ready Reserve Fleets, the Military Sealift Command's Operational Control of government owned or chartered sealift, and the Maritime Security Program and the Voluntary Intermodal Sealift Agreement. It looks at the Department of Defense (DoD) and U.S. Transportation Command policies governing the use of sealift, and the Government Accounting Office research to support those policies. It reviews several legal challenges to the laws and policies by the Comptroller General of the United States and the DoD Inspector General. It also discusses three current, sealift situations where policy causes conflict and suggests an alternative concept for military sealift in the future.