News and Announcements
Commander’s Perspective Today’s people – tomorrow’s ships – yesterday’s sacrifices
The joint high-speed vessel is an aluminum-hulled catamaran with diesel engines that drive high-velocity water jets, propelling the vessel at 35 knots with 700 tons of cargo. Graphics by Austal USA
We have transformed MSC into a unique, successful 21st-century organization over the years. We excel at our mission. We’ve made efficiency and effectiveness while lowering the costs part of our ethos, and we’re getting better at taking care of our people, but not fast enough. That’s where my focus is now.
The senior leadership of MSC headquarters and MSFSC headquarters gathered in Gettysburg in April for two days of open and honest discussion on how we can improve care for our people. We identified some actionable items that fell into three areas: treating our work force better, improving the work environment and raising our professional development efforts.
I’ve brought a new team on board to help me focus our efforts and move forward in carrying out real, measureable change in the way we care for our people. The team, N00H, reports directly to me and consists of three subject matter experts from the training and professional development sector and two CIVMARs, a master and a senior unlicensed mariner. You can read more about these people and their functions in the accompanying article, New N00H team focuses on MSC’s people. The N00H team will be visiting units throughout MSC – afloat and ashore – talking to you and your shipmates, getting your input on areas that we can improve and seeking input on some of the initiatives we have in mind. Give them your full support. They speak for me and share my commitment. I don’t intend to hatch change that has not had mariner input. However, I have already directed the hiring of additional trained placement specialists so that we can better help manage your rotations and address issues in a more timely manner.
I will keep you informed about potential initiatives and changes. We will be briefing union leadership as well. I am open to your input and recommendations. I encourage you to engage my N00H team, either in person when they visit or via e-mail at mschq_n00h@navy.mil.
I am committed to not having this effort turn into a data-collection and notebook-filling drill!
JHSV crewing
The Navy decided to entrust operation of the soon-to-be-built joint high-speed vessels, or JHSVs, to civilian mariners rather than Navy service members. That reflects a vote of confidence by the most senior Navy leadership in the capabilities of merchant mariners to successfully operate these unique platforms and to represent the interests of the United States in the international community. The underlying basis for this confidence is the dedication and stellar performance of merchant mariners as we’ve taken more and more of the Navy’s load. You and your predecessors have exemplified professionalism in the operation of ships in direct support of the Navy’s mission, including the underway replenishment of the combatant fleet, strategic sealift of defense cargo, afloat prepositioning of military equipment and myriad special missions. The employment of merchant mariners on these ships has provided a significant boost to civilian maritime employment opportunities and has allowed the Navy to return more than 11,000 service members to more war-fighting related duties.
As part of the decision to use civilian mariners, MSC was assigned responsibility to determine whether to crew the ships with MSC’s government employee CIVMARs, or by contracting with a ship operating company that would employ U.S. citizen contract mariners, or CONMARs, who would crew the ships and be responsible for virtually all aspects of on-board operations and maintenance.
As you know, we presently use both crewing models very successfully. The determination whether to use CIVMARs or CONMARs has historically depended on the nature of the mission of the ships, the operational construct, evaluation of any specialized training required, cost and related factors.
Because of the multiple options concerning the ultimate use of the JHSVs (theater security cooperation/direct logistics war fighter support), I’ve determined that the best course of action is to institute a pilot program in which the first two vessels would be crewed with MSC CIVMARs, and the final three ships (of the five planned under the current contract) would be crewed by CONMARs through a competitively awarded contract to a commercial operator.
MSC will benefit from this construct because CIVMAR operation of the first two ships will provide us with in-house, deck-plate level experience in operating and maintaining these new platforms. It will also give us more insight into determining the necessary crew experience levels, ship limitations and required level of management control needed for this new class of vessel. We’ll use that learning experience to formulate the requirements for a competitively awarded contract for operation of the following three ships.
The union leaders I’ve spoken with are pleased with the plan and anxious to participate in the future of this versatile vessel. After a few years of both CIVMAR and CONMAR operation, a direct comparison of the two crewing models can be made so that future crewing decisions can be based on actual operational experience rather than a series of assumptions and estimates.
I have the utmost confidence that both crewing models will prove to be successful, and that our approach to this issue will best serve the needs of the Navy and the nation. We expect delivery of our first JHSV in fiscal year 2013. Watch for further updates as we bring these exciting new ships on line and ask some of you to form the initial crews.
National Maritime Day
MSC commemorated the sacrifices of our U.S. merchant mariner shipmates over the years on May 18 with a ceremony and wreath dedication in the Washington Navy Yard. Adm. John C. Harvey Jr., commander of Fleet Forces Command, was our guest speaker and recounted the many sacrifices and years of dedicated service rendered “in peace and war” by U.S. merchant mariners.
You now are the custodians of that proud tradition, sailing under the stack stripes of MSC. I’m proud to be a part of that team; I hope you are, too.
Sail safe & yours aye,
Mark H. “Buz” Buzby
Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy
Commander, Military Sealift Command
