Confronting the National Supply Chain Challenge

Speaker: General Stephen R. Lyons, USA (Ret.)

White House Port and Supply Chain Envoy for the Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force

NOTE:  The video photographer had a technical issue during General Lyons’ keynote presentation.

For the transportation and logistics workforce, staying at home was never an option during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to GEN Stephen R. Lyons, USA (Ret.), White House Ports and Supply Chain Envoy, those workers—manning vessels under harsh quarantine restrictions, working on docks and in warehouses, and driving trucks—pulled the US through as an economy.  

These comments are especially pertinent coming from Lyons, who served as Commander of US Transportation Command from August of 2018 until October of 2021. Lyons shared his insights during a keynote speech at the Surface Force Projection Conference. He discussed the root cause of what created the massive level of bottlenecks and congestion that occurred during the pandemic, particularly in the goods movement sector. In addition, he explored the significant implications this had on the economy, including both confidence and inflationary pressures.

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.

 

By Sharon Lo, Managing Editor, DTJ & The Source