A Military Sealift Command ship conducts a refueling on the Atlantic Ocean and a replenishment with the guided missile cruiser Mahan.

U.S. Navy / PHAN Konstandinos Goumenidis

One of the lesser-known components of America’s defense establishment is called the Military Sealift Command. As military organizations go, it’s something of a hybrid — part of the Department of the Navy, but staffed mostly by civilian employees. (According to a promotional DVD put out by the Military Sealift Command, it has 8,522 civilian employees and 627 military personnel.)

Military Sealift Command employees are federal workers, civil service mariners, or CIVMARS. Last Tuesday, recruiter Scott Edington was in the netWORKri center in Pawtucket, looking to hire some CIVMARS for specific shipboard positions, such as able seaman, deck engineer machinist and unlicensed junior engineer.

“We need people all the time,” Edington said. “This is a great viable alternative for kids who want to do something for their country, but don’t necessarily want to be in the military.”

Among the MSC’s missions is to supply Navy warships at sea, what the organization calls “under way replenishment,” bringing ammunition, food and fuel to Naval vessels. The MSC, which operates about 110 ships, also prepositions military cargo around the world and moves military cargo used by deployed U.S. forces and Coalition partners.

All the jobs being recruited in Pawtucket, Edington said, involve working at sea, which means at least four months at a time aboard ship. They’re full-time, year-round jobs, Edington said, and layoffs are not a concern. Along with his visit to Pawtucket, Edington was scheduled for recruiting sessions in Boston and Foxboro last week.

“I’m seeing a lot more applicants because of the lack of jobs around, but probably 85 percent of the applicants I see aren’t qualified,” he said.

In Pawtucket, Edington, about 20 people showed, with 14 signing up to indicate they were interested in a job with MSC. Of those, two applications were labeled “NOW,” meaning the candidates could be hired right away.

The Military Sealift Command’s recruiting materials cite several advantages to working for organization, among them job security, federal health and retirement benefits, a chance to see the world, the opportunity to serve the country and the lure of the sea. “It’s not for everybody, but it’s a great life . . . it’s in your blood, I guess,” Edington said.

Base salary for an able-bodied seaman with the Military Sealift Command is $36,784, although Edington said there are opportunities for overtime that can raise that figure considerably.

To be considered for a job with the Military Sealift Command, applicants must be at least 18 — there is no upper age limit — be an American citizen with a U.S. passport and hold a valid, current Merchant Mariner’s Document from the U.S. Coast Guard. The documents are issued from Coast Guard regional examination centers. (Locations and application forms are available at www.uscg.mil/stcw.)

Applicants must also obtain a Transportation Workers Identification Credential Card, or TWIC. The card, which costs $132.50, is good for five years. Information on how to get the card is available at www.tsa.gov/twic.

For additional information on jobs with the Military Sealift Command, call 1-877-562-7672 or go to www.sealiftcommand.com.

asmith@projo.com