Page 18 - Maritime Security Program News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

May 7, 2021 By Jim Myers Washington, D.C.—A review panel has been conducted on the Inland Waterways Users Board (IWUB), possibly a key step in returning the suspended board to active status. That zero-based review of the IWUB and other Department of Defense advisory committees was directed by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin three months ago. In the same January 30 memorandum to senior Pentagon leadership and others, Austin also directed the immediate suspension of all advisory committee operations until the review was completed ...

Great Power Competition Demands Revitalization of America’s Military Sealift The United States needs to ensure it can move its soldiers, weapons, material, and supplies around the world in the event of a major crisis. In an era of great power competition, the U.S. military has had to relearn a number of strategic facts. Perhaps the most important of these is the central role that sealift has played in America’s ability to project power abroad. During the Cold War, the U.S. was able to not only deploy large forces overseas but move and sustain entire armies around the world. Today, 90 per...

By Salvatore R. Mercogliano, Ph.D. – In March 2020, the Center for Disease Control issued a No Sail Order for cruise lines and that has remained in place, pending a successful plan to resume operations. Once the CDC releases the cruise ships, sailing to Alaska will be problematic as most of the world’s cruise ships are foreign built, foreign flagged, manned with foreign crews, and owned and operated by companies incorporated overseas.   Under the Passenger Vessel Service Act of 1886, while such ships can operate between American ports, they must include a stop at a foreign destination. ...

December 23, 2020 By Jim Myers Washington, D.C.—Escaping a “chopping block,” the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA 2020) made it into a massive package Congress passed to fund the government and provide coronavirus relief to the American people. “What a day this has been!” the National Waterways Conference (NWC) exclaimed in a news alert crediting the actions of its members with saving the popular legislation. According to the NWC alert, the 11th-hour drama grew out of concerns over changes to the Harbor Maintenance...