Our Objective(s)
To assess the Maritime Administration's (MARAD) actions to address the 24 recommendations from National Academy of Public Administration's (NAPA) 2021 report specified by Congress. Specifically, we assessed MARAD's progress in addressing the 24 specified recommendations and identified challenges to fully addressing them.
Why This Audit
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2020 directed the Secretary of Transportation to enter into agreement with NAPA to conduct an independent, comprehensive assessment of U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA or Academy). The NDAA for fiscal year 2023 required us to assess MARAD's actions to address 24 of the 67 recommendations in NAPA's 2021 report.
What We Found
MARAD made progress on 21 of the 24 NAPA recommendations subject to OIG review before terminating actions on 5 due to an Executive Order.
The recommendations were in areas such as USMMA's facilities and infrastructure, institutional culture and learning environment, and sexual assault prevention and response policies and program.
The Agency completed two and partially completed five of eight recommendations to improve Academy facilities and infrastructure.
MARAD also partially completed 9 of 10 recommendations related to improving the Academy's institutional culture before terminating actions on 5 of these recommendations due to an Executive Order.
MARAD completed one and partially completed four of six recommendations on the Academy's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program and policies.
Funding, staffing, and management challenges impacted MARAD's ability to fully address the recommendations.
For example, USMMA staff and officials described plans to develop or identify specific metrics required by some recommendations, but none of these metrics had been established in part because funding requested for assistance in this area has not been enacted.
In addition, MARAD had not designated a senior official with the authority to hold the various offices accountable, hindering collaboration among DOT, MARAD, and USMMA, which all had responsibilities for addressing recommendations.
Recommendations
We made 1 recommendation to facilitate MARAD's progress addressing NAPA recommendations.
