Ensure the security of the transportation system for the movement of people and goods, and support the Homeland and National Security Strategies.

We Aim To Achieve These Strategic Outcomes:

• Reduce the vulnerability of the transportation system and its users to crime and terrorism.
• Increase the capability of the transportation system to meet national defense needs.

Ensuring the national transportation system’s ability to function during and after terrorist or other criminal attack is equal in importance to transportation safety.

• In cooperation with the new Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ensure that the nation’s transportation system is able to function effectively while under attack or after natural disasters strike; and

• Make essential contributions to the Defense Department’s strategic mobility through management and operation of the nation’s strategic sealift reserve - the Ready Reserve Force.

Strategic Mobility:

To maximize DOD’s logistics capability and minimize its cost, defense sealift relies heavily on the U.S. commercial sector. The ability of the United States to respond to future military contingencies will require adequate U.S.-flag sealift resources, skilled U.S. maritime labor, and the associated maritime infrastructure. DOT helps provide for a seamless, time-phased transition from peace to war operations while balancing the defense and commercial elements of our transportation system. The Ready Reserve Force (RRF) is a key source of strategic sealift capacity to support the rapid deployment of U.S. military forces during the early stages of a military crisis. Merchant mariners employed on commercial vessels in the U.S. domestic and international trades provide the core job skills needed to crew the RRF. DOT is responsible for establishing DOD's prioritized use of ports and related intermodal facilities during DOD mobilizations, when the smooth flow of military cargo through commercial ports is critical.

Performance Goals:

Ensure sufficient contingency sealift and commercial outload ports are available to support DOD mobilization requirements.

Performance measures:

External Factors: Business decisions resulting in further globalization and consolidation of shipping companies could reduce the availability of U.S.-flag sealift capacity.

Strategies and Initiatives to Achieve 2004 Target: DOT resources attributable to this performance goal are depicted below:

DOT’s ability to provide adequate sealift depends on three elements in combination: adequate privately owned U.S.-flag merchant shipping available for defense logistic needs, adequate government-owned reserve sealift, and an adequate base of qualified, available mariners to crew the ships DOD needs for its strategic sealift reserve. DOD funds the RRF, and MARAD manages it.

MARAD will work with DOD and carriers to ensure the continued full commitment of commercial capacity to the Maritime Security Program (MSP) ($98.7 million) and the Voluntary Intermodal Sealift Agreement (VISA) program. The MSP is a Federal maritime financial assistance program administered by MARAD designed to retain modern, U.S.-owned, U.S.-flagged and U.S.-crewed militarily-useful sealift assets in international trade, as a U.S. national security asset, at a lower cost than that of the government owning and maintaining an equivalent capability. MARAD will continue to maintain VISA sealift agreements with U.S.-flag ocean carriers to provide DOD with assured access to sealift and to enhance the delivery of equipment and intermodal transportation services to DOD utilizing the best commercial practices in both peacetime and during contingencies.

In addition, MARAD, DOD and the industry will seek to ensure rapid crewing of RRF vessels and increased efficiency of the fleet sites to speed activations. MARAD will continue the RRF maintenance and repair regimen for all RRF vessels in FY 2004 and provide for berthing arrangements for each RRF ship according to its prescribed readiness status.

MARAD’s mariner education and training programs will continue to provide for training of new merchant marine officers through the United States Merchant Marine Academy ($52.9 million) and state-run regional maritime academies ($9.5 million). These training programs replenish the pool of available officers and increase the competence of current mariners through continuing education programs.

In addition to merchant marine officer training, MARAD will continue to work with the Ship Operations Cooperative Program (SOCP) members and other industry partners to improve mariner recruitment and retention. The SOCP is an industry-government, cost-sharing partnership formed to enhance the U.S. maritime industry. MARAD, the SOCP, and other industry partners have worked together over several years to raise awareness about maritime careers. Without additions to the labor pool from new entrants, the marine base of available skilled U.S. seafarers, particularly unlicensed mariners, would shrink and insufficient mariners would be available to crew our strategic sealift ships in time of emergency.

MARAD will also continue a variety of port readiness activities at the 13 DOD-designated commercial strategic ports. Building upon planned 2003 achievements, MARAD will work with its National Port Readiness Network (NPRN) partners in 2004 on improving the size and quality of port readiness exercises and training. Currently, Port Readiness Exercises (PRX) are locally focused, which limits their usefulness in addressing the readiness of the transportation system beyond the port. Because military activation can create disruptions far beyond those boundaries, MARAD will work to establish Regional PRXs. These broader exercises will provide additional tactical deployment training and also test regional infrastructure capacity and needs. In the current environment of heightened security, no-notice port readiness assessment visits and exercises will be introduced to provide a better picture of the day-to-day readiness of the system. MARAD will undertake an assessment of transportation infrastructure, port security and force protection enhancements necessary to support new security needs. Since September 11, the adequacy of trained labor has also become a significant issue. For this reason, MARAD will also identify the level of readiness training for longshore labor used during deployments.

FHWA coordinates with military and State authorities to ensure highways, facilities and transportation procedures support “fort-to-port” movements of military units and cargos. Critical to deployment logistics are properly accounting for size and weight of military vehicles and load capacities in planning and design of strategic highway systems. FHWA improves the condition of the strategic highway network, and participates in planning exercises to ensure efficient military deployment.

Other Federal Programs with Common Outcomes: The U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) is responsible for ensuring adequate sealift transportation of military cargo to support military needs. They determine the readiness status and siting of RRF ships in order to support their force projection mission and provide annual program planning guidance so that MARAD can develop RRF budget requirements.

DOD relies upon commercial merchant mariners to crew the ships activated for sealift purposes. MARAD meets regularly with DOD personnel to coordinate planning for crewing requirements.

Under a 1984 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Port Readiness, MARAD, MTMC, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Military Sealift Command, the U.S. Army Forces Command, USTRANSCOM, and the U.S. Northern Command, agreed to jointly support efficient movement of military forces and supplies through U.S. ports. The MOU establishes a National Port Readiness steering group and a working group, both chaired by MARAD that contain representatives of all nine agencies. The steering group provides policy direction and sets broad priorities for accomplishing the objectives set forth in the MOU and the working group implements them.