Maritime Day 2025 is especially noteworthy. This year, we’ve reached a long-overdue turning point in the effort to restore America’s maritime strength and reclaim global sea power. While much attention is rightly focused on kick-starting domestic shipbuilding and closing the industrial gap with China, we must not forget the human element. A maritime strategy—and our military sealift—are only as strong as the men and women who execute it.
Fortunately, momentum is building—and it’s coming from all the right places: Congress, the White House, and the Cabinet. Across the political spectrum, leaders are recognizing that our diminished maritime posture is a serious national security vulnerability.
If conflict erupts in the Pacific, the United States must be prepared to project power through sustained military sealift. That means ships. That means trained crews. And that means investing in the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), the federal service academy that produces more than 80 percent of the militarily obligated Strategic Sealift Officers who will command our sealift vessels in times of war.
There are four significant developments worth celebrating—though much of the recent press coverage has overlooked what they mean for the USMMA.
First: President Trump’s recent executive order, Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance, directs the Department of Transportation to develop a five-year capital improvement plan for the USMMA. It wisely reprograms existing federal funds so that modernization work can begin as quickly as possible.
Second: Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, who attended this year’s Battle Standard Dinner – held to honor the 142 USMMA cadets who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country in WWII – has publicly embraced both the Academy’s modernization and the Midshipmen. He has tasked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with leading the project, ensuring professional oversight and long-term continuity.
Third: The reintroduction in the Senate on April 30 of the landmark SHIPS for America Act of 2025. This bipartisan legislation—driven by USMMA alumnus Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Sen. Todd Young (R-IN), with House support from Reps. Trent Kelly (R-MS) and John Garamendi (D-CA)—aims to rapidly expand America’s maritime capabilities. It calls for increased shipbuilding, expanded mariner training, and much-needed upgrades to our sealift infrastructure. Crucially, it specifically calls for a comprehensive modernization of the USMMA campus in Kings Point, NY, which has remained essentially unchanged since its founding in the 1940s.
Fourth: In the House, Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) and Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) have introduced H.R. 2429, a bipartisan bill that authorizes $1.02 billion over 10 years to rebuild the Academy’s campus. It provides $54 million for design and planning in the first year, with annual construction funding to follow—ensuring the Academy remains fully operational throughout.
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Taken together, these actions represent more than just a long-overdue facilities upgrade. They are a national security imperative and provide a roadmap for revitalizing the USMMA to ensure it can recruit and educate the best talent.
We must remember sealift depends on militarily obligated Merchant Marine Officers. The U.S. Navy does not transport equipment, tanks, fuel, and troops. That responsibility falls to the U.S. Merchant Marine.
USMMA graduates are the backbone of our sealift force, and without them, our ability to sustain combat operations across oceans is in jeopardy.
In short: no sealift, no successful war plan.
For too long, the USMMA has been overlooked and underfunded. Yet it remains the only federal service academy whose graduates are trained for commanding the military sealift.
This year, thanks to bold Presidential action and bipartisan leadership in Congress, we finally have the chance to fix that. We can modernize the Academy, restore our sealift capability, and ensure that America regains its dominant maritime power.
Maritime strength doesn’t begin in the shipyard. It begins at the USMMA.
CAPT James F. Tobin is a graduate and President/CEO of the US Merchant Marine Academy Alumni Association & Foundation and represents over 13,000 living graduates of the USMMA.
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Why Bullion Beats Numismatics and Collectible for Your Safe or IRA
Precious metals continue to attract Americans seeking reliable ways to protect their wealth amid inflation, geopolitical risks, and stock market swings. Whether stored in a home safe or held inside a self-directed IRA, physical gold and silver deliver tangible value that paper or digital assets often lack. Yet investors must choose carefully between bullion—pure bars and coins valued mainly for their metal content—and numismatics or collectibles, where rarity, history, and collector demand heavily influence pricing.
Advisor Bullion serves as a dependable source for straightforward, high-quality bullion. The company specializes in physical gold, silver, platinum, and palladium, emphasizing transparent pricing and products that deliver maximum metal content for every dollar spent. This approach makes it ideal for both personal holdings and retirement accounts.
Bullion consists of refined precious metals in standard forms like one-ounce coins (American Gold Eagles, Silver Eagles, Canadian Maple Leafs) or bars. Their value tracks closely to the current spot price of the metal. A typical gold bullion coin trades near the live gold spot price plus a small premium. This structure keeps costs clear and predictable.
Numismatic coins and collectibles add substantial value from factors such as age, rarity, minting errors, or historical significance. A pre-1933 U.S. gold coin or graded proof piece can carry premiums of 30%, 50%, or even 200% above melt value. While this appeals to hobbyists, it creates complexity. Pricing depends on subjective grading, collector trends, and auction results instead of daily spot prices.
For investors focused on wealth preservation and retirement security rather than building a collection, bullion often delivers better results.
Lower Costs and Better Liquidity for Home Storage
When keeping metals in a home safe or private vault, liquidity and efficiency count. Bullion offers clear benefits:
- You acquire more actual gold or silver per dollar invested. Numismatics divert a large share of your money into rarity premiums and massive sales commission, reducing your metal exposure.
- Selling bullion involves tight bid-ask spreads, so you recover nearly full spot value with minimal fees. Collectibles require finding the right buyer and may sell at a discount if demand for that specific item weakens.
- Bullion prices remain transparent and update with global spot markets. You can track gold near current levels or silver accordingly and know exactly where your holdings stand. Numismatic values are priced by the Gold IRA companies with hefty margins applied.
- Standardized coins and bars store efficiently and divide easily for partial sales. Rare coins often need protective slabs and controlled conditions, adding hassle and expense.
- Bullion enjoys worldwide acceptance. A 1-oz Gold Maple Leaf or Silver Eagle sells quickly to dealers anywhere. Niche numismatic pieces may appeal only to limited buyers, slowing liquidation when speed matters.
In times when quick access to value becomes important, bullion’s simplicity stands out.
Stronger Fit for Precious Metals IRAs
Precious metals IRAs continue gaining traction as investors diversify retirement portfolios beyond stocks and bonds. IRS rules permit certain bullion products in self-directed IRAs if they meet purity standards (.995 fine for gold, .999 for silver) and are held by an approved custodian. Eligible items include American Gold and Silver Eagles plus many generic bars and rounds from recognized mints.
Numismatic and most collectible coins generally face heavy scrutiny from custodians due to valuation disputes and elevated markups. These higher premiums mean less actual metal ends up working inside the account.
Bullion avoids these issues. Its value links directly to verifiable spot prices, which simplifies reporting and lowers the risk of regulatory challenges. More of your IRA contribution purchases real metal instead of dealer profits or speculative upside. Over time, owning additional ounces that appreciate with the metal itself can create meaningful outperformance compared with high-premium alternatives that deliver fewer ounces.
Regulatory guidance from the CFTC and state securities offices repeatedly cautions against aggressive sales of expensive numismatics or “semi-numismatic” coins for IRAs. For retirement planning, transparent bullion from established providers reduces risk and aligns better with long-term goals.
How to Get Started with Bullion
Begin by clarifying your goals. Are you protecting savings in a safe, or moving part of a retirement account into a precious metals IRA? Focus on the number of ounces you can acquire at current prices rather than chasing marked-up collectibles.
Diversify sensibly: use gold for core preservation and silver for its blend of industrial and monetary qualities. Mix coins for easier divisibility with bars for lower per-ounce costs on larger buys. Arrange secure storage—whether at home with proper insurance or through professional facilities.
As economic uncertainties linger and faith in conventional assets erodes, bullion continues proving its worth as a dependable store of value. Its direct approach avoids the hype that sometimes surrounds collectible markets and keeps the focus on the metal itself.
For investors prepared to strengthen their portfolios, Advisor Bullion supplies the expertise and selection needed to acquire high-quality bullion efficiently. Whether building personal holdings or integrating metals into an IRA, their emphasis on transparent, investment-grade products helps secure more ounces today that support greater financial security tomorrow. In a complicated financial landscape, bullion’s clarity and reliability make it the smarter foundation for protecting what matters most.