The U.S. Department of Transportation said it will partner with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) New York District and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) as part of a revitalization and modernization effort for the USMMA campus in Kings Point, N.Y.
The 10-year agreement follows President Donald Trump’s executive order to restore the country’s maritime dominance. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy visited the USMAA earlier to tour the campus.
“Merchant marine cadets have answered the call to serve our country, and it’s our duty to deliver an institution worthy of their sacrifice,” Duffy said. “Our mariners are critical to President Trump’s agenda to make American shipbuilding great again, and more importantly protecting our national security.”
The USMAA is one of five Federal service academies, and graduates leaders who serve as merchant marine officers and commissioned officers in the U.S. armed forces. Most of the facilities at the academy date back to its founding in the 1940s and have not been modernized. The facilities are not conducive to the immersive training and demanding coursework academy midshipmen undertake, officials said.
“The health of the maritime industry is of vital national security and economic interest, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is proud to lend our team’s expertise to these revitalization efforts at USMMA,” Brig. Gen. John Lloyd, USACE North Atlantic Division commander and division engineer, said. “The future mariner leaders who come through this campus will be charged with protecting our nation’s critical interests, and it is imperative their education is supported by world-class facilities and infrastructure equipped for the modern learning environment.”