Any U.S.-flagged vessel operator wishing to receive priority consideration for DOD peace treaties must include 100% of its total U.S.-flagged military capability and related services in the VISA program and provide at least 50% of its total U.S.-flagged capacity in Phase III of the VISA program. Participants operating vessels in international trade may be given priority consideration when awarding DOD contracts in peacetime by setting the minimum capacity percentages for the three phases of the visa requirement or the lowest level of consideration by setting the minimum percentage of capacity only at VISA Level III. USTRANSCOM and MARAD will coordinate to ensure that the amount of shipping provided for Third Parties I and II does not have a detrimental national economic impact. In order to minimize disruptions to domestic trade, participants who operate vessels exclusively in domestic Jones Act companies are not required to block the capacity of these U.S. companies. national merchant vessels for VISA I and II levels. The general VISA commitment requirements are based on the annual registration. VISA`s mission is to provide the DOD with commercial and intermodal marine transportation services and systems, including access to ships, maritime space, intermodal systems and equipment, terminal facilities and related management services, as required, to meet the requirements of national defence or national emergencies. Airlines participating in the VISA program provide the DOD with secure access to these services in the event of an emergency. In exchange for their VISA commitment, the printed DOD VISA Start page gives priority to 4553 participants for peacetime cargo. The VISA program was established under Section 708 of the Defense Production Act of 1950, as amended (DPA) (50 U.S.C. 4558).
The VISA program was created to make voluntary arrangements for emergency preparedness programs. According to the DPA, voluntary agreements for preparedness programs, including the VISA program, expire five (5) years after the effective date. All VISA applicants who are accepted for PARTICIPATION in the VISA but do not have an Institutional Security Clearance (FCL) must complete the authorization process using the Defence Security Service (DSS). If the accepted topic does not have a version, MARAD initiates the approval process with DSS. Participants must have a CFL and individual security screenings at least at the SECRET level for key personnel in order to attend VISA`s Joint Planning Advisory Group (JPAG) meetings and meet obligations under VISA emergency contracts. One of JPAG`s goals is to provide USTRANSCOM, MARAD and VISA participants with a planning forum to analyze the DOD`s needs for emergency shipping/intermodal services and resources in relation to industry commitments. JPG meetings are often secret meetings. The VISA program is open to operators of U.S.-flagged vessels of military utility, including tugs and barges.
An operator is defined as the bareboat owner or charterer of a ship. Registration as a smuggler alone does not meet the VISA authorization. The registration of inland navigation vessels alone is not sufficient to benefit from the visa. Operators include bareboat shipowners and charter operators where there are satisfactory signed agreements linking the owner`s assets to VISA. Travel and space charterers are not considered U.S.-flagged vessel operators for the purposes of VISA eligibility. The VISA program operates on a simple model: a variety of qualified U.S.-flagged merchant ships commit to voluntarily providing their wartime intermodal time and capability, in exchange for priority access to DoD cargo in peacetime. MARAD`s Visa (Voluntary Intermodal Sealift Agreement) program is a partnership between the United States. The government and maritime industry must provide the Department of Defense (DoD) with secure access to commercial docks and state-of-the-art intermodal equipment when the Department of Defense deploys forces during a national emergency or war operation.
Once MARAD has reviewed the application and established visa eligibility, MARAD signs the VISA application document, which completes the eligibility phase of the visa registration process. .