The Navy Needs Hybrid Crews for Warships

Nearly half a century ago, Military Sealift Command (MSC) began a modest set of experiments that would fundamentally alter the Navy’s auxiliary fleet, converting the oiler USS Taluga (AO-62) to operation by government civilian mariners (CivMars). These pioneers were known as the Taluga Tigers, and the extraordinary success of Operation Charger Log II transformed the combat logistics force from exclusively military in 1972 to exclusively civilian by 2003.

The ability to operate ships with less expensive and more efficient civilian crews has been copied to other platforms, including all auxiliaries, command ships, and—most recently—expeditionary mobile bases. Some civilian-manned vessels retain their commissioned status, operating under a hybrid crewing model with active-duty commanding officers. Now, with personnel costs and ship readiness more critical than ever, is time to explore the final frontier of hybrid crewing: surface combatants.