It’s Time For Kings Point To Step Up To The Plate
Despite gCaptain’s strong editorial support of USMMA over the years, anti-USMMA voices continue to sound on or forum and in comments across our social media platform. As founder and CEO of gCaptain I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate our support of Kings Point.
We also call for a large increase in federal funding for the program.
USMMA’s primary focus is to train midshipmen to sail aboard large ocean-going US Flagged ships operating at sea. The primary argument made by the vocal minority of gCaptain readers calling for the closure of KP find is that, due to the fact only 81 American ships currently operate in foreign trade, there are not enough jobs available for young graduates. Critics say it is unfair that students from our nation’s five state maritime schools, the majority of which are saddled with large student loan payments, must compete for jobs against KP graduates who all receive free tuition.
“It is just unfair,” said one gCaptain reader. ”Tuition at KP is paid by the taxpayers. They compete for jobs with state students who need those jobs to pay off student loans.”
MARAD’s defense to this criticism is strong. While the number of US Flagged ships is pitifully low the average age of mariners is high and we are facing a critical shortage of U.S. merchant mariners needed to crew the commercial and government-owned sealift ships necessary to meet national security needs.
The US Maritime Administration (MARAD), which has federal oversight of KP, argues that all KP alumni serve as active duty or naval reserve officers and work not just aboard deep-sea commercial ships but aboard US naval, Military Sealift Command, inland waterway, offshore, research and other types of vessels around the world.
Even the strongest critics of KP don’t often dispute the critical need for better trained American mariners in the near future so… their argument really comes down to fairness and cost.
“Maybe the millions in taxpayer dollars going to KP” says a longtime gCaptain forum reader who goes by the nickname Steamer. “That money would do more good elsewhere, like for training and retention of American mariners.”
Ok, So let’s look at the money.
According to a recent report, the US Maritime Administration (MARAD) has requested $81.9 million dollars to operate the school next year. This is a decrease of $3.5 million from the FY 2020 Enacted level.
$81.9 million is 1.0237 percent of $8 Billion.
Over $8 Billion is the cost of the USS Zumwalt, a vessel that currently does not work. It does not work but we are building 2 more. The Navy wants to decommission 4 young LCS’s (which crews have nicknamed “Little Crappy Ships” ), ships which are expensive to operate and do not meet their core needs but, despite their numerous failures, we are still building at least three more LCS’s at a price tag of $3B a pop.
Because they are new we do not know the operating cost of the USS Zumwalt and because it’s combat systems don’t currently work the operating cost will be relatively low but we do know the cost to upgrade and operate the LCS’s the Pentagon no longer wants is $90 million per vessel per year or eight million more than KP’s annual operating budget.
The navy has also asked Congress to decommission an aircraft carrier. The average cost to just operate and maintain Carrier is approximately: $160 million per year just for the personnel. Add aircraft fuel and maintenance parts, and you’re looking at closer to $400 million per year or 4.9 times the operating cost of Kings Point. Congress did not approve the request.
Total Defense spending (not just within the DOD but also including nato, foreign defense treaties, foreign defense aid, corporate kickbacks, tax breaks for defense contractors, rebuilding Iraq, rebuilding Afghanistan…) exceeds $1 Trillion per year.
$81.9 million is 0.00819 percent of $1 trillion.
And the long term taxpayer cost of offering KP midshipmen free tuition is MUCH lower over 20 years. Over the next two decades, some of those KP graduates go onto start companies that expand the tax base at a rate faster than inflation. While interest on the dod budget will continue to balloon far into the foreseeable future education will continue to pay back the nation as long as KP alumni continue to build companies and create jobs.
gCaptain
