KINGS POINT, N.Y., June 22, 2026 — The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) today graduated 188 new merchant marine and military officers during its 90th commencement ceremony.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean P. Duffy, whose department oversees the Academy, one of the Nation’s five service academies, introduced the keynote speaker, U.S. Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll.

In his introduction, Rear Admiral Tony Ceraolo, USMS, Superintendent, called Secretary Duffy “the most Kings Point–loving secretary of transportation in the history of secretaries of transportation.” He added, “In my career, I have never known another secretary of transportation who has been as invested in the United States Merchant Marine Academy as you have been. Your passion for this place and for these midshipmen is felt across our entire community, from the regiment to the faculty and staff to our alumni and supporters around the country.”

Duffy underscored the significance of the moment while addressing the graduating class and introducing the keynote speaker, saying, “This is a special moment in our nation’s 250th year, and you are stepping forward at a time when duty will call and America will ask more of you. I have come to deeply appreciate the grit, patriotism and honor of the midshipmen here, and I am committed to matching your dedication with my own.”

Driscoll delivered the commencement address to the Class of 2026 before an audience of more than 3,000 family members, friends, alumni and representatives from the federal government, U.S. military and maritime industry.

Driscoll emphasized the enduring partnership between the Army and the Merchant Marine, both of which predate the Nation itself, as the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, saying, “Two days before the Army was officially established on June 14, 1775, a group of local fishermen and sailors in Maine armed themselves with axes and muskets, inspired by Lexington and Concord. They commandeered ships and chased down a British schooner. They boarded her and captured warships of the most powerful navy at the time.

“For the rest of the American Revolution, merchant mariners harassed British supply lines and enabled our Army to win. That was the birth of the United States Merchant Marine in fire and fury and revolution.

“Just eight days ago, the United States Army celebrated its 251st birthday, which is also a celebration of our shared heritage, because our two institutions have been inextricably linked for over 250 years.

“The Army was built to win our nation’s wars, and the Merchant Marine was built to ensure we actually get to the battlefield and then sustain the fight once we’re there. In every single major conflict abroad, sealift has delivered Army heavy metal to the fight — from the shores of Cuba and the Philippines, to the beaches of Normandy, the jungles of Vietnam and the deserts of the Middle East.

“The most powerful weapons do not simply appear on the battlefield. They are delivered by mariners. All of you on this field are what keep our Army and the joint force moving around the world, and you are more important now than ever before,” Secretary Driscoll said.

The Academy awarded each graduate a Bachelor of Science degree, a U.S. Coast Guard license as a merchant marine deck or engine officer, and a commission as an officer in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Rear Adm. Michael E. Platt, USCG, commander of the Coast Guard Northeast District, administered the Merchant Mariner Oath. Rear Adm. Benjamin Nicholson, USN, USMMA Class of 1993 and commander of the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command, administered the oath of office for newly commissioned officers.

The Academy recognized its top academic graduates. Midshipman John Walter Smolenski, a maritime logistics and security major from Colonia, New Jersey, earned valedictorian honors with a 3.87 GPA. Midshipman Connor Conrad Crymes, a marine engineering systems major from Lincoln University, Pennsylvania, earned salutatorian honors with a 3.83 GPA. Each will sail on their license and serve a as an ensign in the U.S. Navy Reserve.

The USMMA requires more credit hours for a Baccalaureate degree than any other federal service academy – the equivalent of a Masters completed in three-years’ time. The challenging coursework is augmented by the Academy’s Sea Year, which affords midshipmen hands-on, real world experience aboard working commercial or military vessels sailing around the world.

At graduation, the Kings Pointers are awarded the Bachelor of Science degree, a U.S. Coast Guard license, a merchant mariner’s license and an officer’s commission in the U.S. armed forces of their choosing.

USMMA graduates are required to fulfill a service obligation following graduation. Graduates can choose to work five years in the U.S. maritime industry with eight years of service as an officer in any reserve unit of the Armed Forces, or five years on active duty.

U.S. Merchant Marine was founded in 1942 by President Franklin Roosevelt to staff the merchant marine vessels supplying the troops. The USMMA is the only one of the five federal service academies that flies the battle standard as part of its color Guard. USMMA’s battle standard has 142 emblazoned into it, commemorating and perpetuating the memory of 142 Cadet Midshipmen who lost their lives during World War II. Indeed, as part of their arduous training – the hardest of any service academy – every Kings Pointer spends a year at sea, often in the service of the military engaged in conflict, as during the Iraq War.

The United States Merchant Marine Academy, in Kings Point, Long Island, NY, is recognized as vital to national security and the economic prosperity:  95 percent of the world’s products are transported over water. The Academy educates and trains those who are vital to the effective operation of the nation’s merchant fleet for both commercial and military transport, in peace as well as in war. Merchant ships can be ordered into national service, delivering military troops, supplies and equipment overseas, and operating as an auxiliary unit of the Navy. Academy graduates abide by the motto: “Acta Non Verba,” or “Deeds Not Words,” and are trained to be leaders who exemplify the ideals of service-above-self.

Learn more about the Academy’s mission USMMA