U.S. TRANSCOM Wants Authority to Buy 10 Used Cargo Ships
John Grady
March 6, 2025 5:56 PM
MARAD Ready Reserve ships MV Cape Ray (T-AKR-9679), MV Cape Rise (T-AKR-9678), MV Cape Race (T-AKR-9960) in port near Naval Station Norfolk, Va., on April 6, 2023. USNI News Photo
The head of U.S. Transportation Command asked a key Senate panel for the authority to buy 10 more used cargo vessels to support American forces overseas in combat.
Air Force Gen. Randall Reed said in a Thursday hearing, unless moves are made quickly by 2032, “54 percent of the government-owned sealift ships will reach the end of their service life.” He added, 85 percent of the nation’s combat power is in the United States and would need to be delivered by sea or air for operations overseas.
Acknowledging President Donald Trump’s call to overhaul American shipbuilding to compete with China, the Maritime Administration and command need to “get ships in any way we can,” Reed said.
For speed, that means buy used but newer vessels to support U.S. sealift.
https://news.usni.org/2025/03/06/u-s-transcom-wants-authority-to-buy-10-used-cargo-ships
