Balancing Strategic Readiness and Commercial Necessities

The military relies on commercial transportation providers as a part of the larger Joint Deployment and Distribution Enterprise, but how do we balance DOD’s need for quick access to transportation capacity with these entities’ need to pursue recapitalization, construction, and non-DOD business lines?

To explore this topic, Captain Jeffrey C. Flumignan, USN (Ret.), Director, Office of Maritime & Intermodal Outreach, Maritime Administration led a panel during the Surface Force Projection Conference. Joining Captain Flumignan for the discussion were Mr. Andre Elmaleh, Senior Manager, Business Development, Non-Container, Northwest Seaport Alliance; Mr. Chris Danos, AVP, Economic Development and Real Estate, BNSF Railway; Mr. Troy Hosmer, Maritime Port Security Manager/FSO, Port of Oakland; and Mr. Terry Howard, President, Carlile Transportation Systems, LLC.

The SFPC is an annual event co-hosted by NDTA and Christopher Newport University’s Center for American Studies (CNU CAS), in cooperation with the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA), the Maritime Administration (MARAD), and the Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC). Each year the event brings together US government and industry logistics and transportation experts, and members of the Joint Logistics Enterprise (JLE), to examine a wide range of challenges associated with operating in and through the contested environment to provide US capability at the point of need.