Long Island representatives are calling for the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy’s modernization plan to be a focal point of the national maritime strategy, the latest efforts in recent actions to revitalize the deteriorating Kings Point campus.
“We cannot rebuild maritime power without first rebuilding the institution that produces the officers who will lead it,” the letter states. “Long-term modernization of USMMA must not be a side initiative—it should be a foundational element of this strategy.”
Rep. Tom Suozzi (D–Glen Cove) and Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R–Sayville), backed by four other bipartisan congressional members all on the academy’s Board of Visitors, sent a May 23 letter to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and federal Management and Budget Director Russell Vought to focus on the Kings Point-based academy.
“Kings Point delivers one of the best returns on investment of any college in America,” said Suozzi. “Graduates leave with top-tier training, nearly 100% job placement, and a service commitment that strengthens our national security. I’ve been excited about the Academy’s potential for years but frustrated by the lack of action. Now is the time to match that potential with the federal investment it deserves.”
The letter supports President Donald Trump’s Shipbuilding Executive Order, an April 9 order calling for bolstering the country’s commercial shipbuilding capacity and maritime workforce. The order cites “decades of Government neglect [sic]” as the reason for the industry’s weakening.
“Our maritime industry has been outpaced by adversaries not due to a lack of capacity or talent among our mariners, but because they have been underserved by policy, left without the investment and infrastructure they need to compete,” they wrote.
The order includes modernization efforts for the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, specifically to take action to pursue urgent maintenance projects, finalize a long-term master facilities plan and submit a 5-year capital improvement plan within 90 days.
The letter calls for the already submitted 10-year campus modernization plan as a model for the federal government’s Campus Modernization Plan to revitalize the facility. The ten-year plan is backed by U.S. Merchant Marine leaders and representatives.
A 2022 Maritime Security Infrastructure Council report found that the 82-year-old academy’s facilities were gravely in need of upgrades, many of which had gone beyond their life expectancy without any improvements.
Reported conditions at facilities include crumbling facades, water leaks and water damage.
“These longstanding issues are deterrents to prospective applicants and threaten the Academy’s mission of preparing future maritime leaders,” they wrote.
The already proposed $1.02 billion project, which was introduced to the House as a bill in March, would last over 10 years and include upgrades to the entire campus.
The project would kick off with $54 million for design and planning over the first year of the project. Every year of the project afterward would cost about $107 million annually.
New construction is estimated to cost $519.8 million, with $357.6 million for facility renovations and upgrades, $91.1 million for design and $51.3 million for program management.
The constructions and renovations include $133.1 million for the Midshipmen Leadership Development and Readiness Center, $111.7 million for the Midshipmen Academic Center, and $94.8 million for upgrades to existing buildings.
Money for the project would come from the Maritime Security Trust Fund.
The executive order also calls for a maritime action plan to be made within 210 days of its execution. The plan would lay out details for carrying out the executive order’s calls.
But within 90 days, a report on maritime industry needs, mariner training and education must first be made. This would include maritime programs including the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and the feasibility of expanding its current training and educational offerings.
But physical improvements were not the only ones called for in the letter.
The letter also asks for recommendations from the National Academy of Public Administration’s independent report also be included. These address governance, cultural and operational challenges.
“These are essential first steps, and there is already real momentum,” the letter states. “In order to translate that momentum into lasting impact, we must put in place a stable, authorized, and fully funded multi-year modernization plan. We believe that the MAP presents a unique opportunity to place long-term modernization of USMMA at the center of the Administration’s maritime agenda.”
