GSIS

Government Shutdown Affects Maritime Academy

The government shutdown may end up delaying or even cancelling the careers of many midshipmen, sending a ripple effect through the maritime shipping industry.

Military academies are feeling the pain of the government shutdown, as commissaries are closed and even the Army and Navy football games cancelled. But they're still open for classes, albeit on a reduced schedule and with reduced services, as the Department of Defense considers them essential to national security.

But one Federal Service Academy is completely shut down because of the government shutdown: the US Merchant Marine Academy. The Merchant Marine trains sailors to serve in the civilian fleet, with options for serving in all branches of the military. Merchant Marine graduates end up in areas like shipping, dredging, and salvage, but have been activated to combat duty. Most notably, the Merchant Marine suffered the highest casualties in World War II, with upwards of 8,000 mariners KIA. 

Here's how the Merchant Marine Academy can be shut down: it's not part of the Department of Defense. The Merchant Marine is part of the Department of Transportation and thus, not considered to be "essential". So when the government shutdown came, the entire campus was shut down. Midshipmen are allowed to stay on campus for now, but basic services have been cut off. If the government shutdown continues for a prolonged period, the midshipmen may be sent home. 

The Academy has 720 midshipman, with a strict schedule to maintain. Some are scheduled to go to sea for training in November, but must meet their Academy requirements first. A long delay could jeopardize that. The Academy warns a shutdown of longer than a few days could jeopardize the Academy's accreditation. Mariners who are currently at sea will be allowed to continue to serve. But the Academy hasn't said what might happen if the shutdown lasts longer.