Maritime Crusader Senator Maria Cantwell & 5 Powerful Congressmen Call Maritime Industry “Toxic,” Demand Firing of USMMA Leader Jack Buono, & Demand Suspension of Cadet Commercial Shipping

New York, NY

By: MLAA

Two weeks after sending an absolutely blistering letter to Acting and Flailing Maritime Administrator Lucinda Lessley that demanded answers to allegations of rape, rampant unchecked sexual violence, and oversight and policy failures posted on the MLAA website, Senator Maria Cantwell, along with the chairpersons of five powerful Congressional Committees, have sent a second letter to Lessley’s boss—Secretary of the Department of Transportation Pete Buttigieg—demanding action. The second letter was first reported by influential maritime industry publication Gcaptain.

The October 29, 2021 letter comes only 3 days after MARAD was required to reply to Senator Cantwell with answers, including MARAD’s response to allegations posted on the MLAA website, data on sexual assaults reported to the USMMA over the past 10 years, and procedures in place to protect USMMA cadets from being placed aboard ships with known sexual predators.

According to the October 29 letter to Secretary Pete from 6 powerful Congressmen, over the past month “countless other brave individuals...have come forward to share their personal stories during their time at sea.” MLAA referred more than a dozen individuals to Cantwell’s Committee who experienced sexual harassment and sexual assault while serving as cadets aboard U.S.-flag vessels, and the Committee has already heard from many times that number. The evidence that there is a massive sexual harassment and assault problem facing cadets and other mariners in the toxic U.S. maritime industry has been overwhelming, and yet Pete Buttigieg, Lucinda Lessley, and USMMA Superintendent Jack Buono have still refused to acknowledge the seriousness of the situation.

In the October 29, 2021 letter to Secretary Pete, the Congressmen wrote:

“It has come to our attention that DOT is considering sending cadets back to sea on commercial vessels in a matter of weeks with few meaningful changes or safeguards in place. While we understand that improved communication devices would be provided to each student, this course of action on its own falls short and is unacceptable. Since the Department has given no indication that meaningful and necessary steps have been taken to ensure the safety of cadets in the Sea Year program, we believe the USMMA should not proceed with Sea Year this term. Prior to the resumption of Sea Year, we request the USMMA develop a public written action plan that includes detailed steps that will be taken to ensure the safety of cadets at sea. While we understand the importance of a timely graduation for USMMA cadets, the safety of those same cadets should be your top concern. We stand ready to assist the Department in ensuring a complete educational experience and a timely graduation.”

Congress has also called for the firing of USMMA Superintendent Jack Buono, a move MLAA has advocated for more than 2 years.  MLAA first began calling for the firing of Jack Buono after uncovering damning evidence that Buono had intentionally sent USMMA cadets to serve aboard ships with known sexual predators, while having actual knowledge that he was sending these young people into harm’s way without any warning to the cadets. MLAA shared information and evidence that Buono callously sent USMMA cadets to serve aboard vessels with known sex predators with the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) in 2020 and 2021. NAPA is currently conducting a Congressionally-mandated study of the USMMA that has been completely consumed by the issue of sexual assault, and the release of NAPA’s report has now been delayed for more than four months.

In their October 29, 2021 Letter, regarding Buono, Congress wrote:

“Furthermore, we believe there needs to be a change in the leadership of the USMMA. Vice Admiral Joachim Buono, USMMA Superintendent, has failed to take seriously the safety of his students and has not demonstrated a commitment to change the toxic culture at the Academy and during Sea Year. Superintendent Buono must be removed from his position.”

MLAA’s applauds this call for Buono’s public firing. Buono has demonstrated himself to be a dangerous leader incapable of taking action on these important safety and cultural issues.

MLAA has not called for an end to the training of cadets aboard commercial vessels or an end to the USMMA Sea Year program, but MLAA believes that radical reforms to the entire regulatory structure of the broader maritime industry are required in order to make the program safe for cadets. The U.S. Department of Transportation alone cannot make the program safe. Safety requires the involvement of the U.S. Coast Guard and Congress and possibly the U.S. Department of Justice. 

In their October 29, 2021 Letter, Congress closed with the following:

“We expect the department to adopt robust policy changes before the Sea Year program can resume. The maritime industry and United States Merchant Marine are a vital part of our national security and our nation’s economy. Sexual harassment, sexual assault, and other offenses are intolerable, and the department must take immediate and long-term action to stop these offenses to protect the cadets of the USMMA, both at the Academy and at sea.”

MLAA strongly supports this position.