Peters Appointed to Merchant Marine Academy Board

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) announced today that he has been appointed by the Vice President to serve on the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) Congressional Board of Visitors, the Academy’s official oversight board, for the 114th Congress. 

“I’m honored to serve on the board of the Merchant Marine Academy, an indispensable institution training men and women to transport troops, supplies and equipment overseas and through our waterways – in peace and in war,” said Senator Peters. “As a former Lt. Commander in the Navy Reserve, I have seen firsthand how Merchant Marine Academy graduates strengthen our national security. These mariners also play a key role in supporting our commercial shipping industry in the Great Lakes, which is critical to Michigan’s economic growth.”

The USMMA is a federal service academy located at Kings Point, New York, that educates and graduates licensed Merchant Marine officers to serve America’s marine transportation and defense needs. It was established by Congress in 1936 and is operated by the Maritime Administration (MARAD), one of the modal agencies of the U.S. Department of Transportation. The USMMA is the second leading commissioning source for officers in the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard.

With roughly 95 percent of the world’s products transported over water, these midshipmen and merchant seamen are essential to protecting our nation’s commercial and military interests. As an auxiliary unit to the Navy during times of war, natural disaster or emergency, the Merchant Marine ensures the delivery of military troops, supplies and equipment overseas to America’s armed forces and allies.

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