Editor’s note: This essay is part of Mississippi Today Ideas, a platform for thoughtful Mississippians to share fact-based ideas about our state’s past, present and future. You can read more about the section here.

Throughout my career in the Marine Corps, logistics has always underpinned every operation — from training exercises to overseas combat tours to planning for future conflicts. Weapons, material, fuel and other supplies that our troops rely upon are delivered across thousands of miles of ocean, principally by ship.

I can assure you, the 70-ton M1A1 tanks I commanded in Fallujah in 2007-08 did not arrive by cargo plane. These vital war supplies, along with troop transport, are delivered by the U.S. Merchant Marine.

Not to be confused with the Marine Corps of which I served, the Merchant Marine is composed of civilian mariners and both commercial and federal-owned ships. In peacetime, the Merchant Marine carries domestic and international cargo. During conflict, the mariners become a critical component of the military logistics system. Unfortunately, the Merchant Marine is facing mounting challenges that threaten its ability to fulfill this role.

Maritime commerce plays an essential role in the global economy and the economic security of the United States.

Compared to China, our principal maritime competitor, the U.S. Merchant Marine fleet is smaller and is rapidly aging beyond its service limits. Compounding this issue is a dwindling number of shipyards, a shrinking shipbuilding workforce and a significant shortfall of qualified civilian mariners. This erosion poses a direct threat to the readiness and resilience of our defense and commercial supply chains.

The University of Southern Mississippi, however, is uniquely positioned to help address this challenge. With a strong affiliation with the maritime industry, the proximity of its Gulf Coast campus to naval bases, and the state’s only ocean engineering program, USM could take a transformative step by establishing the Mississippi Maritime Academy.

Civilian mariners are vital to the nation’s sealift capacity, which ensures the rapid transportation of military and humanitarian supplies during crises. The Merchant Marine also supports global commerce, with roughly 90% of world trade moving by sea. However, the U.S. pool of licensed mariners is aging, with many nearing retirements, and the recruitment pipeline is not keeping pace.

The Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) and the Department of Defense have repeatedly warned of this national security risk.

In response, MARAD published its “Mariner Workforce Strategic Plan” in 2023 (revised in 2025) and has designated 32 Centers of Excellence for Domestic Maritime Workforce Training and Education to help prepare students for various roles in the maritime industry. Notably, two of the inaugural centers are Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and Hinds Community College — evidence that Mississippi is already contributing to maritime workforce development.

Currently, new merchant marine officers are sourced through the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, as well as six state maritime academies in Texas, California, Michigan, Maine, Massachusetts and New York. These state academies receive limited federal assistance through the Navy-sponsored Strategic Sealift Midshipman Program (SSMP), as well as training vessels to support their unique licensing and curriculum requirements. Similar to the traditional Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC), the SSMP is tailored to develop a cadre of officers to operate merchant ships as naval auxiliaries and are commissioned as Strategic Sealift Officers in the Navy Reserve.

Yet even these combined efforts are not enough to meet the nation’s mariner needs. This poses a risk not only to the commercial sector, but to the Merchant Marine role as a military logistics reserve in conflict.

USM’s Gulf Coast campus offers a compelling solution. Its marine and ocean engineering programs provide a technical foundation that aligns perfectly with the needs of the maritime industry. Additionally, its proximity to key Gulf Coast naval installations, such as Naval Construction Battalion Center Gulfport and Naval Air Station Pensacola, presents opportunities for collaboration with the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard.

Furthermore, the Gulf Coast region supports a robust maritime industry, including shipbuilding, port operations and offshore energy. According to the Mississippi Development Authority, the maritime industries represent 22% of the local workforce in Mississippi’s coastal counties. Collaborations with these industries could enhance practical training opportunities for midshipmen.

This proposal is not without historical precedent. During World War II, the Merchant Marine Cadet Corps trained thousands of mariners at Pass Christian, Mississippi. The Pass Christian Cadet School, home of the Gulf Coast Cadet Corps, made a pivotal contribution to the Allied forces’ sealift capacity during the war. However, it was shuttered in 1950.

Reviving that legacy at USM by designating the Gulf Coast campus as the Mississippi Maritime Academy would honor Mississippi’s past while answering a strategic need.

Establishing a state maritime academy at USM would require coordination among the university, industry partners, state legislators and MARAD.

The Maritime Academy Act of 1958 outlines federal support eligibility, including requirements like mandatory Coast Guard licensing exams before graduation and accepting at least 10% out-of-state students. The governor may also request the assignment of Navy, Coast Guard or Maritime Service personnel as instructors and request access to a training vessel.

USM has the location, expertise and industry partnerships to lead the way. By leveraging these existing strengths, it can help secure America’s maritime future, strengthen its regional economy and contribute meaningfully to national defense.

Now is the time to act.

Robert L. Burton is a future warfare strategist, retired Marine Corps officer and military fiction writer. A Mississippi native, born and raised in Newton County, he was commissioned from the U.S. Naval Academy and received master’s degrees from U.S. Army’s School of Advanced Military Studies, U.S. Army War College and the University of Mississippi.