From Captain Bradley Clare,
Commanding Officer, National Maritime Center (NMC)

Greetings from the NMC,

It’s been just over two months since I assumed command of the NMC and my staff and I have been working diligently to improve our processes in order to better serve our mariners. One of the many groups of mariners we are excited to serve is our veterans and active duty military members looking to obtain credentials and potentially transition to the maritime industry. Did you know that Executive Order (EO) 13860 signed March 4, 2019, directed the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to ease the requirements that stand in the way of military service members interested in earning merchant mariner credentials? By supporting EO 13860, the NMC can offer credit for military training and experience, credit for military sea service, and offer potential fee waivers to those who qualify. Veterans who obtain credentials and enter the maritime industry bring with them a wide variety of experiences, many of whom have trained and sailed in challenging environments ranging from restricted inland waterways to arctic operations. It is our hope that we can help veterans capitalize on these experiences and pursue new and challenging careers in the maritime industry. Those eligible to apply include members of active duty Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, Air Force, Space Force, National Guard, the commissioned corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Public Health Service.

Not long after assuming command I had the privilege of issuing the second merchant mariner credential with my signature to a military member. This member, active duty Coast Guard Petty Officer Edward Fischer received his Master 100 Ton and Mate 200 Ton endorsements on July 23rd , 2021.

Additionally, on September 23rd I had the honor of signing the first course approval that allows active duty sea service to be credited toward an engineering officer degree at a maritime academy. The Great Lakes Maritime Academy Military Veterans Program course was signed at the American Merchant Marine Veterans annual convention.

Overall, I am extremely proud to support these efforts that supports our veterans and active duty military members. The NMC is very committed to ensuring the success of our transitioning military members.

B. W. CLARE
Captain, U.S. Coast Guard

Visit the NMC’s website to learn more about the Military to Mariner program benefits. 

For current active duty or reserve Coast Guard members you can visit the CG Portal Voluntary Credentialing Program (VCP) – Military to Mariner (M2M) (uscg.mil)(CG internal link only)

Active duty service members can also contact their service branch Military to Mariner program to get more information.

This blog is not a replacement or substitute for the formal posting of regulations and updates or existing processes for receiving formal feedback of the same. Links provided on this blog will direct the reader to official publications, such as the Federal Register, Homeport and the Code of Federal Regulations. These publications remain the official source for regulatory information published by the Coast Guard.