THE INFLUENCE OF MARITIME POLICY ON THE PERFORMANCE AND PROGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES MERCHANT MARINE

Maritime policy of the United States, first formally expressed in the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, and reiterated in subsequent legislation, calls for a U.S. flag merchant marine capable of substantial participation in commerce and able to contribute to the requirements of national defense.; Contribution to national defense, interpreted as the broader area of national security, is the foremost goal. Although not susceptible to precise measurement, the ability of the merchant marine to contribute to national security is necessarily a by-product of participation in commerce, given the inexorable linking of commerce and defense in maritime policy.; To measure performance of the fleet, objective standards are advanced for the principal fleet segments in terms of current and projected capability. Performance of the liner, bulker, and tanker segments is evaluated and deficiencies in capability are elaborated.; Consistent with a macro approach to policy analysis, causal relationships between policy and performance are determined. Policy is examined on three levels; design, implementation, and application. The three levels refer respectively to the formulation and statement of policy, the institution of promotional programs to enable and enforce formal policy, and the execution of actions in the short term to effect policy.; It is concluded that inherent defects at the design level necessitate the implementation of promotional programs directed at specific fleet segments, which fail, in the main, to achieve desired ends, and which are the principal factors in determining fleet composition. Through the use of a systems analysis model of the political process, major dysfunctions at the policy application level are examined.; Finally, underlying premises of policy are identified, and the programs of unofficial maritime policy, maintenance of a government owned fleet, and support of foreign registry under flags of convenience are considered.; The central theme of the dissertation is that U.S. maritime policy, a product of historical conditions which no longer exist, is inimical to the goals it espouses for the U.S. flag merchant marine, and that in order to develop and sustain a fleet sufficient to appropriate national goals, essential changes in maritime policy, at all levels, are required.