American Merchant Marine (Episode 4) - Introduction to Merchant Marine Role in National Defense

On this, the fourth episode of the American Merchant Marine, we return after a brief hiatus to introduce two special series.

The first series will examine how the American Merchant Marine currently supports the National Defense Strategy of the United States. Specifically, there will be four episodes that examine each of the elements. The first will be on Fleet Support to the United States Navy. This includes the oilers and supply ships that provide underway replenishment for Navy combatants. The second will examine Afloat Prepositioning across all the services. The third will look at the Maritime Administration's Ready Reserve Force and the sealift ships held by the Navy's Military Sealift Command. The last will look at how the commercial merchant marine, including the Maritime Security Program and the Jones Act fleet support the sustainment of American military forces.

The second series discusses the history of the American merchant marine in national defense through their actions in number of conflicts. It begins with the Spanish-American War in 1898 and the creation of the Army's Transport Service and the Navy's Collier and later Auxiliary Service. The two world wars will demonstrate the essential aspect of why a super-power with global commitments requires a domestic merchant marine. We will also have episodes that discuss specific conflicts and operations such as the Korean War, Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War, Somalia, and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The goal of these two mini-series is to provide a reference point on the role of the American merchant marine in national defense.