Army Struggles to Work with Small Businesses, the Future-Proof Ship, & more news

Hurricane Dorian Response

As Hurricane Dorian threatens and impacts the eastern United States, the National Defense Transportation Association recognizes the important work being performed by government, industry, non-government and private organizations to prepare and respond to a potential disaster. With the President’s Emergency Declarations for Florida, Georgia, South and North Carolina, federal funding is approved and FEMA is authorized to provide Federal support. Federal, state and local governments are working together with industry, non-government and private organizations to establish staging areas; transport equipment and supplies, perform relocation and evacuation operations; provide housing and shelter; restore power; and provide security and assistance as needed.

Storm updates are available at: www.fema.gov/hurricane-dorian

Government & Military News

The US Army Faces Struggles Working with Small Businesses
(Defense News) The US Army faces problems on multiple fronts when it comes to sending business to small companies, according to the head of Army Futures Command. Gen. John Murray said small businesses struggle under a procurement system that can take years, and then struggle to scale their businesses to meet the Army’s needs. READ MORE

Opinion: Will the Infrastructure Bill Be a Giant Payoff for Big Labor?
(The Hill) At the end of July, the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee passed S. 2302, a $287 billion bipartisan infrastructure package. However, the bill has glaring blind spots such as failing to address the Davis-Bacon Act. READ MORE

Navy Building More ‘Strategic’ Relationships with Its Key Suppliers
(Federal News Network) For decades, the Navy’s relationship with its spare parts suppliers has been relatively straightforward: when the service needs a batch of items, it places an order, and industry fulfills it. But officials at Naval Supply Systems Command say they’ve come to realize that arms-length transactional approach doesn’t give the Navy nearly enough insight into the health of its supply chain, nor does it give vendors enough of a view into the military’s long-term needs. READ MORE

Major War Game to Jolt 4 Services, Force Decisions
(Breaking Defense) The Pentagon is kicking off a new series of joint war games and exercises this fall designed to figure out how to confront peer adversaries like China and Russia, as military leaders rush to come up with new ideas for how to fight through what one Army general describes as a “hyperactive” battlefield. READ MORE

‘Controversial Changes’ Are Coming in US Air Force’s Next Budget, Its Top Civilian Says
(Defense News) The US Air Force’s top civilian hinted the service will make major cuts to certain legacy programs—and potentially retire entire aircraft inventories—to further invest in advanced technology for combating future threats. READ MORE

Industry News

The Future-Proof Ship
(Hellenic Shipping News) Failure to account for foreseeable regulatory and technology developments may render a ship built today uncompetitive at best; in the worst case it may end up being prohibited from operating altogether. The technology choices made when building a new ship will therefore decide whether it will be future-proof. READ MORE

Finding Transportation Capacity During the Crunch
(Logistics Management) The capacity crunch won’t be solved by incremental changes or small thinking. The solution will come from a fundamental shift in transportation management. READ MORE

Workin’ On the Railroad—Man or Machine?
(Rail Track and Structures) How will railroad employment trend over the next 25 to 50 years? No one can say for sure, but we can consider some of the factors that could impact employment levels in the coming years. READ MORE

Green Trucking Now: How Route Optimization Immediately Cuts Miles, Emissions, Congestion and Costs
(DC Velocity) Advanced route planning boosts companies’ green trucking strategies without waiting for expensive new trucks, while saving money too. READ MORE

Cargo Airlines Prepare For Brexit Demand Spike
(Yahoo Finance) Air cargo carriers are expecting a demand surge for scheduled and charter capacity if the British government overcomes opposition in Parliament and proceeds with a no-deal exit from the European Union Oct. 31, a scenario that even government experts agree will cause logistics chaos at English Channel ports. READ MORE

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