You Need to Protect Yourself From Zero-Click Attacks
(Popular Science)  After Citizen Lab, a cybersecurity watchdog group that’s spent years tracking digital threats, examined the contents of a Saudi activist’s phone, researchers quickly discovered that it was infected. But the phone wasn’t infected with just any virus. It was infected with NSO Group’s zero-click Pegasus spyware—software that does not even require people to click on a link in order to get the infection.

Auditors, Contractors Hang in the Balance as Defense Overhauls Cybersecurity Certification Program
(Nextgov)  Hundreds of individuals have paid for their place in line to take an exam that would qualify them to perform cybersecurity assessments of defense contractors that may no longer be necessary after the department reexamines its Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program.

Take What You Can Get Amid the Rental Car Shortage
(Travel Pulse)  The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted travel in a myriad of ways but one of the most overlooked—and one that travelers should be aware of ahead of their next trip—is the rental car industry.

2021 National Truck Driver Appreciation Week
(Transport Topics)  From food to fuel to vaccines and emergency supplies and more, truck drivers are continuing to move the country forward, often at great sacrifice to themselves. National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, which runs Sept. 12-18, 2021, seeks to salute these efforts.

Lack of Access to Data During Afghanistan Exit Shines Light on Tech Gap
(C4ISRNet)  The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan prompted Pentagon officials working on the Joint All-Domain Command and Control concept to ask: Do troops have access to data they need on the ground, absent of an adversary capable of disrupting that access? The answer was “no.”

White House Announces Target of 20 Percent Aviation Emissions Reduction by 2030
(The Hill)  The Biden administration has announced a series of industry-backed actions aimed at reducing the climate impact of air travel, with a goal of cutting aviation emissions by 20 percent by 2030.

US: Afghan Evacuee Flights Halted From Two Key Military Bases
(Military Times)  The U.S. has halted all U.S.-bound flights of Afghan evacuees from two main bases overseas for unspecified “health safety concerns,” a move U.S. officials warn will have a severe impact on the evacuation operation.

DoD Wants Transformational 2023 Budget, But Will Take Some Cuts to Pay For It
(Federal News Network)  The leaders of the military services are promising a transformative 2023 budget, even though it seems unlikely that the Biden administration will increase the Defense Department’s budget. What the services are teasing at for 2023 is a realization of about five years of work to modernize the military and develop innovative capabilities that use artificial intelligence, man-machine teaming, hypersonics, long-range precision arms, and other advancements.

SPOTLIGHT ON AFGHANISTAN

• The Kabul Airlift in 5 Charts
• Airline Employees Took On New Mission in Afghanistan Conflict’s Final Days: Getting Evacuees to the U.S.
• What Went Wrong in Afghanistan?
• Calculating the Costs of the Afghanistan War in Lives, Dollars and Years

New Artificial Intelligence Initiatives, Buy American Increase Advancing in House NDAA
(Federal News Network)  The House Armed Services Committee advanced a fiscal year 2022 policy bill this week that would boost military artificial intelligence efforts and increase Buy American requirements, among numerous other provisions added to the legislation. The big news from the committee’s markup came when it voted by a 42-17 margin to increase the FY 22 national defense budget by $25 billion beyond President Biden’s request.

Owner-Operator Model Analyzed at Legal Conference
(Transport Topics)  For decades, the trucking industry’s use of independent owner-operators has been a delicate, but successful, dance between the business and personal needs of motor carriers and contractors. Now, the contractor model’s future is in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court.

CMMC Board Chief Talks Assessors, IT Staff
(Defense Systems)  What’s standing between defense contractors and the upcoming cyber assessments? A bit of IT. Matt Travis, the CEO for the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Accreditation Body, said training and IT access to the Defense Department’s Enterprise Mission Assurance Support Service (eMASS) application, which will house CMMC data, still needs to be finalized for the third-party organizations that will be charged with conducting cyber assessments.

‘Food Fight’: Lawmakers Jockey for $6B in Funding After Afghan Military’s Collapse
(Politico)  Roughly $6 billion that was either approved or will be approved for Afghan military training is now up for grabs after Kabul’s collapse last week, and the jockeying among lawmakers to find a new home for that money has begun. The numbers include almost $3 billion unspent from fiscal years 2020 and 2021, and $3.3 billion requested by the Pentagon to train and equip the Afghan army, air force and national police in 2022.

Can Younger Truck Drivers Be Safer?
(Material Handling & Logistics)  As the truck driver shortage gets more dire by the day, researchers believe they have found a way to choose with a greater degree of confidence those potential recruits who are the safest drivers among the 18 to 21-year-olds who are currently prohibited from interstate truck driving.

Defense Secretary Orders US Airlines to Help with Evacuation
(Defense One)  Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered the Civil Reserve Air Fleet to activate, requesting 18 aircraft from the U.S. airlines to help in the evacuation of Afghans and Americans. This is the third time in history that the military has mobilized the U.S. airlines to help with a military evacuation.

TRANSCOM Boss Vows to Ramp Up What Is Already One of the Largest Airlift Operations in History
(Air Force Times)  The head of U.S. Transportation Command, the military organization spearheading the massive humanitarian evacuation effort in Afghanistan, said Monday he expects to ramp up flights out of the country even further as the Aug. 31 deadline to withdraw all American troops and Afghan allies approaches.

New Navy Approach to Supply Chain Elevates Data-Driven Decisions to C-Suite
(Federal News Network)  Last October, when the Navy began its latest effort to examine its vast supply and logistics enterprise, officials realized they had what was, in essence, a too-many-cooks-in-the-galley problem. In the span of less than a year, a new initiative called Naval Sustainment System-Supply (NSS-S) has made a measurable dent in those problems.

Fuel-Efficient Tech Available for Trucks Via Proposed Legislation
(Transport Topics)  Legislation that would establish a program at the U.S. Department of Energy to assist the trucking industry with the adoption of fuel-efficient technologies recently was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The Space Force Met Its 18-Month Deadline to Get Up and Running. Here’s What’s Next.
(Air Force Times)  When Congress created the U.S. Space Force in December 2019, the Pentagon hadn’t launched a new military service since 1947. Lawmakers wanted the idea to become reality in just 18 months—a deadline met earlier this summer. Now, it turns from tackling the first organizational steps to the meat of becoming an effective warfighting branch.

The Senate Just Passed a Massive Infrastructure Bill. Here’s What’s in It
(Time)  The Senate approved a sweeping $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill on Tuesday that includes a substantial increase in funding for roads, broadband, and energy usage, marking a major step forward in President Joe Biden’s economic agenda as the nation continues to recover from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

It’s Time for a National Maritime Strategy
(Breaking Defense)  Like its predecessors, the sea services’ most recent policy statement, Advantage at Sea, concentrates on naval operations and almost completely ignores the US maritime industry. This is a missed opportunity.

China Reportedly Converted Civilian Ferries for Amphibious Assault Operations
(Defense News)  China has converted civilian ferries for use in military amphibious operations, potentially enabling the country to significantly surge its amphibious assault capabilities in a contingency like a Taiwan invasion, according to a new report.

NIST Revises Flagship Cyber Resiliency Guidance
(FedScoop)  The National Institute of Standards and Technology released the first-ever revision to its flagship cyber resiliency guidance with updated controls and a single threat taxonomy Thursday.

Here’s What’s in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill
(CNN Politics)  A bipartisan group of senators unveiled the legislative text of the infrastructure bill on Sunday night after months of negotiations. In total, the deal includes $550 billion in new federal investments in America’s infrastructure over five years.

From Ports to Rail Yards, Global Supply Lines Struggle Amid Virus Outbreaks in the Developing World
(The Washington Post)  Fresh coronavirus outbreaks are forcing factory shutdowns in countries such as Vietnam and Bangladesh, aggravating supply chain disruptions that could leave some U.S. retailers with empty shelves as consumers begin their back-to-school shopping. The overseas work stoppages are just the latest twist in almost 18 months of pandemic-related manufacturing and transportation woes.

Sea Power Panel Backs Block Buy of Amphibious Ships
(Defense News)  A House panel has advanced a proposal to authorize the Navy to make a block buy of amphibious ships for one more year, meant to save taxpayer dollars, proponents say. The House Armed Services Committee’s seapower subpanel voted to adopt the plans, part of an amendment from Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA). As expected, lawmakers also advanced the broader sea power mark for the sweeping fiscal 2022 National Defense Authorization Act.

Airlines are Facing Fuel Shortages at Some US Airports
(USA Today)  The fuel needle is moving closer to “empty” at some U.S. airports. American Airlines warns it’s running into fuel shortages at some smaller and mid-sized airports, and in some cases, the airline will add refueling stops or fly fuel into locations where the supply is tight.

Lawmakers Want Pentagon to Map Supply Chain Risks, Cut China Products
(Defense News) A bipartisan group of lawmakers wants to require the Pentagon in the upcoming defense policy bill to get a better handle on who sells the military critical technologies to reduce reliance Chinese-sourced products.

Supply Chain Blind Spots: Where They Occur, and How to Deal with Them
(Supply Chain Brain) Manufacturers’ most critical “currency” remains resolute: trust and reliability. And much of the responsibility for maintaining those qualities lies within the supply chain.

Warner Says ‘Time is Now’ for Cyber Incident Reporting Legislation
(Federal News Network) A new bipartisan bill in the Senate would require federal contractors, agencies, and critical infrastructure operators to report cyber intrusions to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency within 24 hours of discovery.

Biden Targets High Shipping Costs as Pandemic Ravages Global Supply Chains
(The Washington Post) President Biden recently called on regulators to crack down on consolidation in the shipping and rail industries, as part of a broad executive order promoting competition throughout the U.S. economy. Freight may seem a prosaic topic for presidential attention. But the smooth movement of goods has perhaps never been more essential, amid the explosion of e-commerce that accompanied the pandemic.

China’s Space Program Is More Military Than You Might Think
(Defense One) On the 4th of July, China celebrated its taikonauts’ first-ever spacewalk outside the country’s first permanent space station, the Tiangong (“Heavenly Palace”). The extravehicular activity marked yet another major step for the country’s ambitious space program and a vivid sign of what is to come.

As New NATO Command Becomes Fully Operational, Top US Military Officer Issues Warning Over ‘Great Power War’
(Defense News) NATO and U.S. military leaders gathered at Joint Force Command Norfolk in Virginia on Thursday to celebrate full readiness of the first operational NATO headquarters in North America. The new command will be responsible for the Atlantic and Arctic regions.

New Pentagon Policy to Accelerate Use of 3D Printing Amid Fresh Cyber Concerns
(Federal News Network) Defense Department officials want to accelerate the adoption of additive manufacturing to solve frontline and logistical challenges alike under a recent policy change, even as the department’s watchdog raises new concerns about how the military secures its 3D printing systems.

Top 100 Defense Companies for 2021
(Defense News) Who are the largest defense companies in the world? Defense News just released its annual rankings.

Opinion: Strategic Sealift Is Broken – Which Direction Are We Headed?
(The Maritime Executive) There has been a slow and steady decline of the Strategic Sealift fleet. Read about issues have caused this decline, including mistakes that have been made in trying to correct them, and hear a few possible solutions to ensure the warfighters have the tools they need to quickly respond to emergent contingencies.

The German ‘New Space’ Industry Is Booming. So Why Isn’t Berlin Buying In?
(Defense News) While NATO allies like the United States and France are dedicating evermore resources to military space assets, Germany has articulated the importance of space, but has yet to put many actual euros behind the statement.

The US Desperately Needs a Civilian Cybersecurity Corps
(Defense One) Bipartisan legislation aims to augment the National Guard’s cyber reservists, but a wholly civilian component could be larger and more flexible.

Procurement Should Take Ownership Over Transportation and Logistics
(Supply Chain Dive) Supply chain bottlenecks happen frequently. Recent delays in transpacific shipping are a reminder of that, and it’s all the more reason procurement should take responsibility for inbound and outbound shipments.

Lawmakers Tee Up Legislation to Push DoD, Prime Contractors on Supply Chain Vulnerabilities
(Federal News Network) Prime contractors may hold the key to the Pentagon’s lack of visibility into supply chain vulnerabilities laid bare by COVID-19 last year, and House lawmakers are now preparing legislation to address the issue along with other supply challenges.

FAA and Air Force Sign Agreement on Commercial Launches from Space Force bases
(Air Force Times) The Department of the Air Force signed an agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration designed to eliminate red tape affecting commercial rocket launches at U.S. Space Force ranges, the agencies announced June 21.

Labor, Driver Shortages Delay Commercial, Military Moves
(Transport Topics) The moving industry is facing mammoth labor and truck driver shortages during the peak military moving season and an explosion of moving demands in the commercial market, possibly delaying unscheduled summer moves until August or September, according to American Trucking Associations’ Moving and Storage Conference.

Robert C. O’Brien: The Jones Act Is Essential for U.S. National Security
(The National Interest) The world is a dangerous place and the original purpose of the Jones Act is still relevant. Just imagine a future without the Jones Act, where Chinese-flagged vessels all controlled, in whole or in part, by the Chinese Communist Party—were able to freely dock at our domestic ports, cruise our coastlines, and travel up and down our inland waterways…

Senate Commerce Committee’s Bipartisan $78B Surface Transportation Bill Advances
(Railway Age) The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation has passed its five-year surface transportation bill authorizing $78 billion for rail, freight, safety and research programs.

What 5G Will Actually Do for the U.S. Military
(Defense One) Imagine a city where a self-driving electric car anticipates when and where to pick you up. There is no traffic, because every vehicle is in constant communication with every other car and traffic light. That internet-of-things enabled city of the future looks a lot like the experiments with ubiquitous 5G cellular networking the military is doing today.

DoD Calls for Whole-of-Government Effort to Improve Critical Supply Chains
(Federal News Network) The Defense Department said it will need at least $1 billion over the next five years to strengthen its stockpile of critical materials. The recommendation comes from a report mandated by the White House that looked at supply chain issues at DoD, the Commerce Department, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Energy Department.

What Blockchain Tells Us about the Pentagon’s Innovation Struggles
(Defense One) A shared digital ledger whose every transaction is preserved in mathematical amber, blockchain can offer transparency, trustworthiness, and immutability—qualities of obvious value to the world of defense acquisition. But to the U.S. defense industry, blockchain is just another small-company innovation that the Pentagon has failed to grasp, and it is instructive to look at why.

White House Launches Task Force to Address Supply Chain Disruptions
(NBC News) The White House announced Tuesday that it will establish a task force to address supply chain challenges in key sectors where “a mismatch between supply and demand has been evident.” The task force will focus on “homebuilding and construction, semiconductors, transportation, and agriculture and food” and will be led by the secretaries of commerce, agriculture and transportation, the White House said.

Despite Retention Issues, Most Truck Drivers Not Looking for Work
(Transport Topics) The majority of truck drivers are not actively looking for a new job, but a robust recruiting environment makes it easy for them to find one should they want to make a move, a recent industry survey found. The survey also found that addressing the issues that matter to drivers can help fleets retain those they have.

Space Force Seeks $832 Million in Classified Spending, New Missions and More in Annual Wish List
(C4ISRNet) The U.S. Space Force is asking Congress for $832 million over its $17.4 billion budget request for its unfunded priority list, an annual wish list of spending every service sends lawmakers. The request includes additional funding for dozens of programs, repairs to Space Force facilities, and $279 million in classified spending to “develop a warfighting punch.”

What is the Shipping Cycle — and Can It Ever Be Tamed?
(American Shipper) Talk about the future of ocean shipping and it always comes back to the cycle. When is this horrific tanker down-cycle going to end? Did investors buy the tanker stocks too early? How high can this crazy container-shipping up-cycle actually go? When will containerized cargo shippers ever get relief? Is this finally the start of the elusive dry bulk upswing? And inevitably, the bigger question: Can shipping cycles ever be tamed or broken?

TRANSCOM Head Envisions Increased Intra-Theater Lift Demand
(Breaking Defense) America’s new way of war, soon to be articulated in the Joint Warfighting Concept, will require more and different intra-theater lift capabilities, says the outgoing head of Transportation Command GEN Stephen Lyons.

Eyeing China, Biden Defense Budget Boosts Research and Cuts Procurement
(Defense News) U.S. President Joe Biden’s first budget request for the Department of Defense slashes procurement by $8 billion, whacking scores of legacy weapons and systems as a way to deliver a $5.5 billion boost for the development and testing of cutting-edge technologies that could deter China. The $715 billion Pentagon request for fiscal 2022, which was sent to Congress Friday, represents an $11 billion increase and trails the rate of inflation.

Biden’s Budget Includes Boost for Transportation Purposes
(Transport Topics) President Joe Biden on May 28 unveiled a whopping $6 trillion budget proposal, which includes billions for provisions to boost transportation infrastructure. The budget, proposed for fiscal 2022 spending, will be considered by Congress, which actually sets the budget.

Connecting Partnerships for the Co-Production of Full-Spectrum Threat Intelligence
(Center for International Maritime Security) Traditional threats to global challenges of port security are now joined by threats including both physical and cyber-attacks, the potential for littoral terrorist operations—such as the maritime insertion of terrorists for the November 2008 Mumbai Attacks—and the potential for unmanned operations including aerial, surface, and underwater drones. These technological challenges will influence both state and non-state actors leading to new potentials for maritime conflict.

America Will Need the Jones Act Long After the Colonial Pipeline Crisis Is Resolved
(RealClear Defense) The disruption of the Colonial Pipeline was a devastating reminder of America’s vulnerabilities in an age of rapidly evolving threats. But while this should have been a moment for unification around national security priorities, some saw this crisis as an opportunity to propagate misguided and inaccurate attacks on the Jones Act.

Russia’s Latest Hack Shows How Useful ‘Criminal Groups’ Are to the Kremlin
(Defense One) Russian coders have little choice but to work with their government, which in turn denies any knowledge of their activities. That’s why hacking activity shows no sign of slowing.

37 Defense Industrial Base Companies Affected by SolarWinds Intrusion
(NextGov) Rear Adm. William Chase III, deputy principal cyber adviser to the defense secretary and director of the Protecting Critical Technology Task Force, said during a Senate Armed Services cyber subcommittee hearing that 37 companies reported exposures related to the SolarWinds intrusion. He also said that while the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification would not necessarily have prevented the intrusions, meeting certain CMMC requirements may have helped companies spot hackers’ movements.

Long-Term Partnerships with at Least Six African Countries Expected, SFAB Colonel Says
(Army Times) A recent deployment of Army advisors to Africa saw U.S. troops pull out of Somalia but increase their footprint on the continent, beginning training missions in Senegal, Kenya, and Ghana. COL Michael P. Sullivan, head of 2nd Security Force Assistance Brigade out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, told reporters that he expects the SFAB mission in Africa to grow.

Active-Duty Troops Could Be Deployed Along the Southern Border Again
(Military Times) Thousands of National Guardsmen who’ve been rotating to the U.S.-Mexico border since 2018 are supposed to go home for good by Sept. 30, the chief of the National Guard Bureau told lawmakers on Tuesday, but because the Homeland Security Department wants that mission to continue, they could be replaced by active-duty troops.

We Should Not Underestimate China’s Military Ambitions
(The Dispatch) Americans, according to recent polls and surveys, increasingly view China as a leading threat to the United States. Waking up to the threat from China is a good thing. But Americans may still not fully appreciate how Beijing has used its growing economy to undertake the largest military modernization effort in the history of the People’s Republic of China.

New Guidance on Acquisition Requirements Coming This Month, Hyten Says
(Defense News) Under DOD’s still-in-the-works joint war-fighting concept, there are four subsidiary topics of focus: information advantage, joint command and control, fires, and contested logistics. By the end of May, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen John Hyten says strategic directives on speeding up the acquisition system for those four key areas will be published.

South Korea Plans to Invest $450 Billion to Become Chip ‘Powerhouse’
(NIKKEI Asia) South Korea is going all out to bolster its critical semiconductor industry, with the government on Thursday announcing a plan by companies to invest 510 trillion won ($451 billion) and beefed-up tax benefits to boost chipmakers’ competitiveness amid a critical global shortage of the key components.

An Update on a Big Program to Help Cybersecurity of the Defense Industrial Base
(Federal News Network) Even for the government, the Defense Department’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program is a complicated apparatus. Get an update from the Chairman of the Accreditation Body Board of Directors, retired Air Force Col. Karlton Johnson.

DHS Announces Extension of REAL ID Full Enforcement Deadline
(Transportation Security Administration) Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas has announced the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is extending the REAL ID full enforcement date by 19 months, from October 1, 2021 to May 3, 2023, due to circumstances resulting from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Sea Power Backers Propose $25 Billion to Fix US Shipyards
(Defense News) As the U.S. Navy grapples with outdated maintenance facilities and a fleet stretched by maintenance backlogs, a bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers are proposing a $25 billion cash infusion for public and private shipyards timed for Congress’ debate on a massive infrastructure package.

USAF Logistics Chief Raises Urgent Warning on Surge Capacity
(Aviation Week) A recent internal study shows more than nine out of 10 repairs performed by the defense industry on U.S. Air Force aircraft are by a sole-source vendor, the service’s top logistics official said on April 28.

Digitizing President Biden’s Supply Chain Strategy
(Supply & Demand Chain Executive) Supply chain was one of the most urgent yet perplexing terms on the minds of business leaders in 2020, along with personal protective equipment (PPE), social distancing, and work-from-home. Its status and importance were cemented with President Biden’s new Executive Order designed to shore up critical components and improve the resiliency of America’s supply chains.

US Military Begins Shipping Equipment in Afghanistan Pullout Prep
(Military Times) The U.S. military has begun shipping equipment and winding down contracts with local service providers ahead of the May 1 start of the final phase of its military pullout from Afghanistan, a U.S. Defense Department official said Thursday.

Free the Data: Vice Chiefs Launch an Acquisition Crusade
(Defense One) America’s sophisticated jets, drones, combat vehicles, satellites, and other gear produce data that the Defense Department can’t access, use, or share in the way that it wants to. Gen. John Hyten, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the services’ vice chiefs are looking to change that.

Report: Trucking Jobs Account for 20% of Biden’s Infrastructure Plan
(FreightWaves) Commercial truck driver jobs are forecast to make some of the biggest gains if the Biden administration’s infrastructure package can get through Congress without major revisions, according to a report analyzing the plan.

The USAF’s Bad Bets on Pilot Retention Show It Needs Outside Help
(Defense One) Despite the pandemic, the Air Force is still short of pilots, thanks to low retention and strong airline hiring. This brewing personnel issue is so severe that outside intervention is now required.

USTRANSCOM Prepares for Third-Party Cyber Compliance Assessments
(Federal Computer Week) U.S. Transportation Command is preparing a test program for cyber compliance to hold commercial partners accountable for supply chain risks in preparation for broad adoption of the Defense Department’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program, FCW has learned.

Afghanistan Withdrawal Plan Could Involve Small Troop Surge
(Military Times) The Pentagon is pulling out its old Afghanistan drawdown plans and reworking them for a Sept. 11 deadline, per President Joe Biden’s announcement of the end of Operation Resolute Support on Wednesday. The 2,500 troops deployed to that country may see some back-up arriving to help with removing equipment, shutting down operations centers, and maintaining security as the Taliban seeks to take advantage of their focus on closing up shop.

The Army’s Newest $21 Billion Contract Is Not Your Typical Government Contract
(JD Supra) Recently the Army awarded Microsoft the Integrated Visual Augmentation System contract, a potentially $21 billion undertaking to develop next-generation night vision and “situational awareness capabilities” in a Heads Up Display. The contract was awarded under the Army’s Other Transaction authority (OTA) and the sheer size of it is certain to bring renewed attention to this contracting vehicle.

Space Force Wants to Introduce Commercial Capabilities to All Mission Areas
(C4ISRNet) While commercial services have played a significant role in the military’s satellite communications and launch enterprises, the Space Force has not integrated commercial services more widely. However, as the service begins looking at its future plans, it sees industry as a much bigger partner.

Republicans Say Less Than 6% of Biden’s Plan is Traditional Infrastructure. BofA Says It’s More Like Half
(Insider) The leaders of the Republican party have argued that President Joe Biden’s $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan funds too many things that aren’t physical, or traditional, infrastructure, saying that less than 6% of its spending goes to rebuilding roads and bridges.

Commentary: Now is a Great Time for Veterans to Enhance Their Education
(Military Times) There may be no “silver lining” to the COVID-19 pandemic in the traditional sense. But there is an opportunity for veterans and soldiers to embrace new technologies, maximize indoor time on our computers and pursue degrees that will help us serve today and possibly prepare for the private sector with greater income opportunities.

Essential, Invisible: COVID Has 200,000 Merchant Sailors Stuck at Sea
(The Seattle Times) Roughly 400,000 seafarers were stranded on ships around the globe at the peak of the “crew change crisis” in late 2020; now, about 200,000 are stuck. The situation threatens to grow more dire in the coming months, as mariners desperately try to access coronavirus vaccines, their situation complicated by a web of complex logistics and workplaces often situated thousands of miles offshore.

Female Truckers Have Become TikTok Influencers, and They’re Changing the Transportation Game
(CNN) A growing number of women are entering the world of trucking at a time when demand for drivers is at a critical high. Many of them are using their influence to educate other women and lay the groundwork for change in a crucial and often misunderstood industry. They’re also sharing an important message: Trucking is for everyone.

Commentary: Pentagon Industrial Policies Need to Focus on Demand
(Defense News) The Biden administration recently started a review of critical US supply chains, following on the heels of multiple manufacturing and defense-industrial base assessments by the previous White House and Pentagon teams. But not addressing the demand side of manufacturing ecosystems in these assessments could prompt unproductive government policies or miss promising opportunities to strengthen US industry.

Biden Unveils Sweeping $2 Trillion Infrastructure Plan
(Freight Waves) The White House has released an outline of President Joe Biden’s vision for infrastructure: a $2 trillion, 10-year American Jobs Plan that includes upgrading transportation infrastructure as well as renewing the electric grid, high-speed broadband to all parts of the US and delivering clean drinking water.

A Marine Logistics Base May Be the Warehouse of the Future
(Defense One) In the warehouse of the future, nothing is ever lost. A massive web of 5G-connected sensors will track every object all the time everywhere, slashing the time required to manage and restock items. The Defense Department has awarded $13 million to a Virginia Tech-led team to build just such a smart warehouse for the Marine Corps.

How China is Winning the Subsea Internet Cable Competition in Africa
(Maritime Executive) Since its launch in 2013, China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has received extensive attention against the backdrop of growing national debts in many African countries, with discussion focused primarily on the overland Silk Road and the maritime Silk Road. However, the spotlight on China’s Digital Silk Road (DSR) has remained faint, despite its overarching role in realization of the BRI.

A New Great Game Finds the South Atlantic
(War on the Rocks) In March, the South Atlantic witnessed an unusual scene: a U.S. ship turning around and sailing for home, having been refused docking rights and services by the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The press paid little attention to this kerfuffle, but it was yet another sign that a tectonic shift is underway. In the South Atlantic, former U.S. security partners are building stronger ties with China, a shift that presents critical future risks for Washington and the inter-American community.

Second Stage of Chinese Telecom Ban Producing Unintended Consequences
(Federal News Network) Phase two of the U.S. government’s crackdown on untrusted Chinese hardware and software in its supply chain is only about six months old. But as some contracting experts both inside and outside of the government warned at the time, the latest implementation appears to be causing unintended consequences because of ambiguities over what it means to “use” equipment made by companies like ZTE and Huawei.

Incorporating the Cyberspace Domain: How Russia and China Exploit Asymmetric Advantages in Great Power Competition
(Modern War Institute) When it comes to America’s focus on great power competition, China and Russia loom large, making the analysis of these two competitors and their strategies a booming business for analysts and practitioners alike. But how these two states and their militaries act in cyberspace is less often discussed and less well understood.

Editor’s note: The article above was recommended to us by our friend Capt. Alex Soukhanov, Managing Director, Moran Cyber, who said “Not protecting our ideas is not protecting our employees, our businesses, and our infrastructure.”

Op-ed | Don’t Discount the FAA’s Role in the Private Space Race
(Space News) SpaceX has disrupted long-held beliefs of how the space business works and permanently expanded thinking about government contracting with industry. However, as a leader in private spaceflight, SpaceX must also set a better example for the entire industry in working with the regulatory bodies that safeguard and advance private spaceflight’s future.

Buttigieg Says Biden Plan Will Usher in New Transportation Era
(Transport Topics) An infrastructure plan expected soon from President Joe Biden will offer a “once in a century” opportunity to remake transportation in the United States, where cars and highways are no longer king, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said March 18.

Task Force on Supply Chain Will Make Recommendations for 2022 NDAA
(Federal News Network) In the three months leading up to the year’s biggest defense bill, a group of representatives led by the House Armed Services Committee Chairman plan to come up with ways Congress can change the law to better the nation’s most important supply chains.

China’s Arms Sales Drop as ‘Other Nations Buy American’
(South China Morning Post) China’s arms exports have dropped over the past five years, a decline that experts have attributed to tensions between China and the US prompting some of China’s neighbors to buy more American weapons, according to a new report.

What the SolarWinds Hack Tells Us About IoT and Supply-Chain Security
(Supply Chain Brain) No matter the industry, cybersecurity breaches seem to be escalating in size and scale. The sprawling hacking campaign launched by Russia three months ago—which impacted as many as 18,000 customers of the Texas-based software maker SolarWinds Corp.—is an egregious example of the far reach of a potential supply-chain attack.

Eyeing China, Indo-Pacific Command Seeks $27 Billion Deterrence Fund
(Defense News) U.S. military officials have outlined new spending requirements to boost deterrence against China, including new weapons, new construction, and closer military-to-military collaboration with America’s allies in the region.

CISA Tells Agencies to Patch or Unplug On-Premise Microsoft Email Systems
(Federal News Network) New zero-day vulnerabilities in on-premise Microsoft email servers are causing a fire drill across the government. CISA issued an emergency directive Wednesday requiring agencies to update or disconnect the Microsoft Exchange products from their networks until they are updated with the patch released Tuesday.

Physics-Based Simulation Can Improve Force Readiness
(Defense News) Lethality, agility, speed, and technology: These words describe our capacity to fight. Yet, much of our latent capacity is held back by reliability issues — the bane of all warfighters.

US Industry Struggles to Strip Chinese Tech from Networks
(Breaking Defense) More than two years after Congress passed two laws to strip Chinese hardware and software from US defense and telecommunications supply chains, industry is struggling to figure out how.

Secretary Pete Buttigieg Suggests Usage Charge as Sustainable Funding Solution
(Transport Topics) Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg acknowledged the lack of sustainable transportation financing sources but suggested an increase to the federal fuel tax rate would not offer a long-term solution. In terms of a sustainable funding mechanism, Buttigieg suggested the merits of a usage charge system—so long as privacy concerns could be addressed.

 

Space Force Chief Sees Larger Role for Commercial Industry in Its Missions
(C4ISRNet) In its second year, the US Space Force wants to build deeper connections with commercial industry, according to Chief of Space Operations Gen. Jay Raymond.

TRANSCOM Delays Awarding New Contract Worth Up to $20 Billion for Military Household Goods Moves
(MilitaryTimes) Officials at US Transportation Command have delayed their award of a contract aimed at improving household goods moves for military members and their families to the fall of 2022. The new system will fundamentally change how TRANSCOM does business, by putting the day-to-day management of household goods moves into the hands of a contractor. 

An Influential Group has a List of Ideas for the Future of US Maritime Power
(Federal News Network) With rival nations building up their navies, and in China’s case getting a lot more aggressive, what should the United States’ floating power look like? The Navy League recently released a long list of recommendations for maritime policy.

Austin Says No Decision Has Been Made Yet on Afghanistan Troop Withdrawal, but ‘Violence Must Decrease Now’
(Stars and Stripes) The United States has yet to decide the future of its military posture in Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Friday, urging an end to violence in the nation where American troops have been fighting for nearly 20 years.

Buttigieg: After COVID-19 Relief, an Infrastructure Policy
(Transport Topics) The nation’s top transportation officer echoed the White House’s strategy of pursuing a comprehensive infrastructure policy agenda after the approval of a new round of COVID-19 aid.

DOD’s Smart Warehouse-Enabling 5G Network Underway
(Defense One) Deployment of the private 5G wireless network that will underpin the Defense Department’s experimentation with an array of cutting-edge technologies through its forthcoming smart warehouse testbed has officially kicked off.

Opinion: Why the Future Will Not Be Virtual
(Aviation Week) The COVID-19 pandemic has accustomed us to living in the virtual world and hearing speculation about the ways in which our actual lives may never resume as before. To all you leaders who, like me, find the progressively virtual world unsettling, I say, “Find your terrain walk.” 

Want to Redefine Readiness? Here’s Where to Start
(Defense One) At their core, discussions of readiness are a matter of balancing risk and one’s strategic objectives. If the military prioritizes near-term readiness and addressing today’s threats, it risks being unprepared for the future fight.

A Key Step in Preventing a Future SolarWinds
(Just Security) Since news of the SolarWinds incident became public, commentators have offered prescriptions for responding to the incident. But as information continues to emerge about the scope and scale of the incident and policymakers struggle with thorny questions regarding appropriate responses, urgent attention is needed to preventing such large-scale catastrophes in the future.

The US Navy’s Postgraduate School is Taking a Stab at Metal 3D Printing
(Defense News) The Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., took delivery late last year of a new Xerox 3D metal printer that the school hopes will advance what’s possible to manufacture at sea, easing the burden on the Navy’s supply chain.

A Better Bureaucracy Can Close the Gap Between Defense and Commercial Technologies
(War on the Rocks) As it is currently organized, the US government is ill-equipped to deal with the growing number of national security challenges that exist at the intersection of commercial and defense technology. To solve these problems, the White House needs to ensure there is a single organization that has stewardship of all the issues that cross existing lines between national security, commerce, and technology.

Biden Harnesses Defense Production Act to Speed Vaccinations and Production of Protective Equipment
(The Washington Post) The Biden administration has announced a handful of initiatives aimed at accelerating mass inoculations against the coronavirus and expanding production of rapid tests and surgical gloves to help control the pathogen. This includes taking several steps under the Defense Production Act in a bid to boost supplies of the shots and of other critical equipment.

 

Air Force Study on Future Aerial Refueling Tanker Could Start in 2022
(Defense News) The Air Force could begin to lay out its vision for a future aerial refueling tanker, previously known as KC-Z, as early as next year, says Commander of Air Mobility Command, Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost.

Five Steps to Keep Your Supply Chain Secure
(Forbes) Though the well-publicized SolarWinds hack this past December came as a shock to many outside the security world, most experienced cybersecurity professionals had a different response. To them, the vulnerability that compromised thousands of organizations, including many departments within the U.S. government, was something else altogether: an inevitability.

Satisfaction with Military Moves Went Up Despite Pandemic, DoD Says
(Military.com) The COVID-19 pandemic created a military permanent change of station, or PCS, a year like no other, bringing unprecedented challenges like lockdowns and travel restrictions, increased sanitation requirements, the burden of personal protective gear, and an ever-present threat of coronavirus.

 

DoD is Centralizing Space Acquisition, But Still Has Bugs to Work Out
(Federal News Network) The Air Force is reorganizing its space acquisition office to better support the Space Force and other new space entities, but there are still questions surrounding exactly how the Pentagon will consolidate its space procurement.

Record Vessel Backlog at Southern California Ports
(The Maritime Executive) With more containerships arriving daily, the backlog at the Southern California ports has grown to record levels. For the first time in seventeen years, ships are being held in drift positions outside the anchorage in San Pedro Bay with predictions that the congestion will continue at these levels at least until mid-to-late February.

WATCH: Pete Buttigieg Testifies in Senate Confirmation Hearing for Transportation Secretary
(PBS NewsHour) President Joe Biden’s nominee for secretary of transportation, Pete Buttigieg, appeared on a smooth path to quick confirmation, pledging to senators to help carry out the administration’s ambitious agenda to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure.

FAA Approves First Fully-Automated Commercial Drone Flights
(The Hill) The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) this week approved the first fully-automated commercial drone flights, giving a small firm the green light to operate drones without direct supervision by human controllers or manned piloting.

 

Pentagon Launches Online Marketplace to Pair Small Firms with ‘Trusted’ Investors
(Federal News Network) The Defense Department has rolled out a new initiative meant to protect its future supply chain from investors that might seek to turn US intellectual property into foreign military capabilities.

US Army Taps Industry for Autonomous Drones to Resupply Troops
(Defense News) The US Army is tapping industry for drones that can deliver supplies to infantry brigade combat teams in the field, according to a request for information posted to the federal contracting website Beta.Sam.Gov on Jan. 13.

Air Force Recommends Space Command Move to Alabama
(Defense One) US Space Command should move from Colorado to Alabama, the Air Force secretary said on Wednesday, effectively announcing the winner of a hotly contested competition just one week before she is scheduled to resign with the rest of the Trump administration.

Court Upholds FMCSA Exemption of Trucking from California Rest Break Rules
(Transport Topics) The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s 2018 determination that interstate motor carriers are exempt from California’s stringent meal-and-rest-break rules.

National Maritime Cybersecurity Plan Includes New Contract Mandates, Intel Sharing
(Homeland Security Today) The recently released five-year National Maritime Cybersecurity Plan focuses on new standards for port owners, shippers, and operators and forthcoming mandates that contractors meet cyber standards.

DOD Formalizes Program Giving Companies More Access to Classified Info
(Air Force Magazine) The Pentagon has formally created a group of defense companies that can get broader access to classified initiatives known as special-access programs, hoping that more insight will make contractors more efficient and cost-conscious.

Positive Train Control Ready Ahead of Schedule
(The BRAKE Report) The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration announced that positive train control (PTC) technology is in operation on all 57,536 required freight and passenger railroad route miles, prior to the statutory deadline set by Congress.

2021 Could Be a Huge Year for Space. Here’s What’s to Come from NASA, Elon Musk, Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos
(The Washington Post) While 2020 was a bad year and will be remembered for the coronavirus, for space enthusiasts, it was actually quite a good year, providing bits of promising news amid the bleak headlines of disease, economic hardship, and protests. From a rover landing on Mars to more human spaceflight missions, big projects are in the works for 2021.

Why the Decline of Business Travel Matters
(Axios) The fate of business travel has big ramifications for the economy at large. Its decline could cost millions of jobs, shutter even more small businesses, and make your next vacation more expensive.

Federal Pilot Program Would Open Long-Distance Trucking to 18-Year-Olds
(The Washington Post) A federal agency is proposing a pilot program to allow people as young as 18 to drive trucks across the country, an idea enthusiastically supported by trucking companies as a way to open the door to recruitment in high schools but facing deep opposition from safety organizations that say it will lead to immature drivers causing more crashes.

The Logistics News That Shaped 2020
(Logistics Management) Read the stories that best summarize the wild ride of 2020 in logistics and transportation management.

Russian Government Hackers Are Behind a Broad Espionage Campaign That Has Compromised U.S. Agencies, Including Treasury and Commerce
(The Washington Post) Russian government hackers breached the Treasury and Commerce departments, along with other U.S. government agencies, as part of a global espionage campaign that stretches back months, according to people familiar with the matter.

Five Things to Know About Lloyd Austin, Biden’s Pentagon Pick
(The Hill) Retired Gen. Lloyd Austin, President-elect Joe Biden’s choice to be Defense secretary, is seeking to put a history-making cap on a 40-year career that already saw him breaking several barriers along the way. To get there, Austin will need to convince a skeptical Congress to grant him a waiver to the law requiring Defense secretaries to be out-of-uniform for at least seven years.

The Next Administration Will Need to Fix Military Sealift
(The National Interest) The next administration will need to bite the bullet on recapitalization of the sealift fleet. In doing so, it needs to take a long-term view that includes the need to support domestic shipbuilding and to maintain an adequate number of merchant mariners.

Railroads Approaching Positive Train Control Full Implementation, FRA Says
(Transport Topics) The automatic braking system Congress is mandating for the country’s railroads is almost implemented on the route miles required by law, according to federal regulators’ most recent update.

Starting Dec. 1, Cybersecurity Is No Longer Optional
(Breaking Defense) As the deadline nears for the first 15 contracts awarded in compliance with the new Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification, the Pentagon made it clear that is just the beginning.

Why Defense Firms Need to Get Systematic About M&A — Big and Small
(Defense News) After years of growth, defense budgets will likely flatten (or decline). In such a financial environment, the U.S. Department of Defense will consider trade-offs between funding modernization, sustaining legacy equipment, and preserving force structure.

Senate Committee Unveils Fiscal 2021 Transportation Funding Bill
(Transport Topics) The U.S. Senate committee that oversees funding across the federal government unveiled a plan for fiscal 2021 that will ensure operations continue uninterrupted across agencies, including the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

America’s Forgotten Marine Highway Network That Could Green Global Freight Transport
(Forbes) Having a robust plan for how the U.S. will meet this 40% forecast increase in freight while addressing climate commitments set in the Paris Agreement will be a critical priority. It requires out of the box thinking, and a long-forgotten transport network could prove a vital part of the solution.

Where President-Elect Joe Biden Stands on National Security Issues
(Military Times) After five days of counting votes, former Vice President Joe Biden has been declared the winner of the U.S. presidential election, unseating President Donald Trump. Read a few of his selected positions and how they differ from Trump.

Is Ending Protection of US Maritime a Bad Idea?
(Federal News Network) Should foreign maritime transportation competitors like China be permitted to ply U.S. commercial waters? For a century, the Jones Act has reserved that right for U.S. made ships and crews. Now the idea of ending the protection of the U.S. maritime is gaining traction. Bad idea, according to the vice president for legislative affairs at the Navy League, Jon Kaskin.

Prop 22 Wins in California; Takes Uber, Lyft and Other Drivers Out from Under AB5
(FreightWaves) Proposition 22, designed to push back against AB5 in California for app-based drivers like those at Uber or Lyft, pas

In Military Logistics, New Pentagon Leaders Must Balance Low Costs with Resiliency
(Forbes) Obtaining foreign help has always been a centerpiece of American national security strategy. But foreign resources used in the past offered the US government flexibility for a cost that, even then, was unacceptable.

What’s Bad for Government Supply Chain is Bad for Industry Too
(Federal News Network) Hardly a day of Zoom conferences goes by without someone talking about supply chain security. But the government supply chain is ultimately also the supply chain of industry.

The 2020 Holiday Season Logistics Hiring Boom
(Forbes) It is the day after Halloween; what are retailers thinking about? The Holiday selling season of course. Actually, it has already kicked off.

Cyber Solarium Commission Outlines Recommendations for Strengthening the Supply Chain
(C4ISRNet) On the heels of its capstone March report, the Cyberspace Solarium Commission has released a detailed follow-up with recommendations for how to secure the information and communications technologies supply chain.

$20 Billion Plan to Outsource Management of Military Household Moves Hits Roadblock
(Military Times) The government’s plan to outsource its management of military household goods moves hit a major roadblock after the Government Accountability Office decided in favor of two protesters of the contract, which had a potential cost of $19.9 billion over nine years.

FMCSA ‘Struggling’ with Under-21 CDL Pilot for Military Vets
(FreightWaves) At a recent American Trucking Associations conference, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Chief Wiley Deck reveals a lack of participation in a program meant to address a shortfall of drivers entering the trucking industry is forcing regulators to adjust.

Military to Play Logistics-Only Role in COVID-19 Vaccine Effort
(DOD News) US military personnel won’t be administering any COVID-19 vaccines to the American people once the vaccines are approved for use. But the US military will lend it’s experienced hand in logistics to ensure the vaccine is available across the nation.

NSA Warns Companies China is Exploiting 25 Unpatched Vulnerabilities
(Breaking Defense) In a warning sent this week, the National Security Agency warned companies that 25 already known exploits were being used by state-based intelligence services, including China’s, and should be patched as soon as possible.

IMO’s Draft CO2 Amendment Stirs Controversy
(The Maritime Executive) This week, the International Maritime Organization’s Intersessional Working Group on Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Ships produced a draft of a new MARPOL amendment addressing shipping’s carbon emissions, and it is expected to be approved at the next Marine Environment Protection Committee meeting. If it passes at MEPC 75 (November 16-20) and MEPC 76 (mid-2021), it would be the first binding regulation that IMO has adopted pursuant to its 2018 “Initial Strategy” on greenhouse gas emissions.

A 21st-Century Reality Is Dawning on NATO
(Defense One) Last week, Jens Stoltenberg delivered a remarkable speech in Bratislava. It could have been one of the speeches one so often hears from officials at security conferences, one about how the West should buy more tankers and fighter jets so as to better deter Russia. Instead, NATO’s Secretary-General spoke about ports, electricity grids, and telecommunications.

Everybody Matters. Really
(Forbes) No doubt about it. Truly successful organizations typically have happy people. Or put another way, to win in the marketplace you must first win in the workplace.

The Next Evolution of Supply Chains
(Supply Chain Management Review) The adaptation of supply chains to the new global world economy had already started before the U.S.-China trade war and COVID started, and these events have accelerated the process of redefining global supply chains.

After COVID, is the Transport and Logistics Industry an Open Goal for Dominance by Data Giants?
(Forbes) Covid-19 has dealt the whole of global society a punishing blow, but if there’s one industry that’s always been tasked with uniting that society, it’s transport and logistics.

The Rise of Exoskeletons in Logistics
(DC Velocity) It might be an understatement that technology has drastically changed modern logistics. One area we’re seeing that evolution, particularly in the past five years, is with companies utilizing exoskeletons to gain a competitive advantage by keeping workers healthy.

The Next Generation Security and Privacy Controls—Protecting the Nation’s Critical Assets
(National Institute of Standards and Technology [NIST]) This month, NIST unveiled a historic update to its security and privacy controls catalog that will provide a solid foundation for protecting organizations and systems—including the personal privacy of individuals—well into the 21st century.

Air Force Taps AT&T 5G to Boost Network Services at 3 Bases
(FedScoop) The Air Force has inked a deal with AT&T to bring 5G wireless technology to three new bases in support of the service’s enterprise IT-as-a-service and network-as-a-service models.

Global Shipping in Crisis: World Leaders Ignoring the S.O.S.
(Forbes) How many more signals do world leaders need to see to believe that global shipping is an industry in meltdown?

New U.S. Government Rules Mean Rethinking Supply Chain Risk for Public and Private Sector Decision Makers
(Forbes) The United States Government is in the process of rolling out two far-reaching procurement changes aimed at securing the federal supply chain. Individually, each of these initiatives will have a substantial impact on federal purchasing. Together, they are the largest change in federal procurement practices in many years and have implications well beyond the direct provision of products and services to the U.S. Government.

House Stopgap Spending Bill Includes $1.6B for Columbia-Class Subs
(The Hill) The Navy would be allowed to buy the first two Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines under a stopgap government funding measure released by House Democrats on Monday. Typically, stopgap spending bills known as continuing resolutions (CR) bar any changes to existing funding, including preventing new purchases.

Titanic Transatlantic Cargo Ship is Actually a Super-Sized Sailboat with Skyscraper-Style Sails
(Syfy Wire) Sailing across the seven seas with its soaring complement of five elegant sail-fins, a new transatlantic cargo vessel called the Oceanbird will endeavor to harness the mighty power of the wind to provide its sustainable green energy propulsion.

Marines and Mercenaries: Beware the Irregular Threat in the Littoral
(Center for International Maritime Security) The world is increasingly urban and littoral. This convergence between urbanization and the littoral, or littoralization, can lead to “the worst of both worlds” and may remake the littorals into hotspots of instability and conflict.

Expect US Election to Have Consequences for American Troops Overseas
(Military Times) President Donald Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden both say they want to pull U.S. forces out of Iraq and Afghanistan. But their approaches differ, and the outcome of the Nov. 3 election will have long-term consequences not only for U.S. troops, but for the wider region.

DOD-Dependent Movers Seeing Rebound in Revenue, But Uncertainty Lies Ahead
(Federal News Network) After a disastrous spring, moving companies are bouncing back and seeing revenues above average for August and September.

Pentagon, Defense Contractors Are Out of Step on Tech Innovation, GAO Finds
(Breaking Defense) The Pentagon wanted to fund ambitious research into future tech breakthroughs but contractors spend most of their money on safer bets, GAO has found.

DOT Plans Funding Boost, Regulatory Rollbacks in National Freight Strategy
(Supply Chain Dive) The Department of Transportation has released a National Freight Strategic Plan to help implement the National Multimodal Freight Policy. The plan outlines goals and strategies to guide multimodal freight policies, investments, and programs at the federal and state levels.

China Planning High-Speed Rail Freight Network to Help E-Commerce Sector
(South China Morning Post) China’s state-owned railway operator is planning to accelerate the development of a high-speed freight network in the hope of bolstering the e-commerce network.

The Next Supply Chain Challenge: How to Vaccinate the World
(Forbes) The next ‘real’ supply chain crisis however will be to vaccinate the whole world, safely, efficiently, and fairly. We have to get from formulating, to planning, to manufacturing and finally distributing billions of doses of vaccine.

Can AI Solve the Rare Earths Problem? Chinese and U.S. Researchers Think So
(Defense One) A joint U.S.-Chinese research team has shown that artificial intelligence can help find potent new combinations of materials to replace rare earth metals that are key to military technology.

The Defense Industry Remains in Dire Straits. Congress Must Pass Another Relief Package
(Defense News) Pentagon officials have provided details on its stimulus funding request. It’s clear the defense, shipbuilding and aerospace industrial base—an “essential” workforce as designated by the Department of Homeland Security—is indeed in need of help.

Uber, Lyft Win Delay on Converting Drivers to Employees
(Transport Topics) Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. were spared from having to rapidly convert their California drivers to employees after a state appeals court agreed Aug. 20 they can keep their business models in place while challenging a judge’s order to comply with a state labor law.

Pentagon Wins Brief Waiver from Government’s Huawei Ban
(Defense News) The Trump administration is granting the Pentagon a temporary waiver of government-wide ban on contractors using Huawei and other Chinese-made telecommunications equipment, according to a memo obtained by Defense News.

DOD’s IT Supply Chain has Dozens of Suppliers from China, Report Finds
(FedScoop) A report from data analytics firm Govini shows that the Department of Defense‘s IT supply chains has dozens of Chinese companies in it. It is unclear how much work, products, or services come from these companies and in what way, but it still poses a significant risk.

Why Millennials Overlook a Career in Logistics – By a Millennial
(The Loadstar) To most millennials, the semantics of ‘logistics’ are riddled with outdated stereotypes of a heavy haulier, or warehouse shelf stackers. The more desirable elements of the industry – of which there are many – are not projected to young people, causing a lack of exposure and knowledge about logistics.

California Ruling Against Uber, Lyft Threatens to Upend Gig Economy
(The Hill) The business models for Uber, Lyft, and dozens of other gig worker companies that have sprouted up over the last decade are up in the air after a California judge ruled that rideshare drivers must be classified as employees rather than contractors.

Supply Chain Management is Strategy
(Supply Chain Management Review) A study just published in one of the world’s top research journals confirmed what supply chain managers already knew: the most successful companies manage and orient their entire supply chain network to best serve the final end consumer, and they do this by tearing down departmental silos and integrating across key suppliers and customers.

An Aerospace Startup Just Won a Contract to Develop an Air Force One Jet that Can Travel at Mach 5. Here’s an Early Look at the Engine that Could Rocket from New York to Paris in 90 Minutes
(Business Insider) The Air Force One of the future might be getting a major speed boost. An aerospace company called Hermeus on Thursday announced a contract with the US Air Force and the Presidential and Executive Airlift Directorate to develop a hypersonic aircraft for the presidential fleet.

NASA Hails Success of SpaceX’s 1st Astronaut Mission: ‘This is Just the Beginning’
(Space.com) The success of SpaceX’s first-ever crewed mission has NASA very optimistic about the future of human spaceflight.

The Air Force’s Latest GPS Alternative: Earth’s Magnetic Fields
(Defense One) Officials just launched a public challenge to help create the artificial intelligence needed to turn the planet’s magnetic fields into readable maps.

Secretary Elaine Chao Unveils Guidance Document for Regulation of Hyperloop Months Ahead of Schedule and Establishes Eligibility for Project Funding
(GlobeNewswire) US Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and the Non-Traditional and Emerging Transportation Technology Council have unveiled the guidance document on a clear regulatory framework for hyperloop in the United States. The guidance is the first of its kind in the world.

A Trucking Giant Quietly Agreed to Shell Out $28 Million to Its Truck Drivers—and It Could Be a ‘Wake-Up Call’ for How the Industry Pays Them
(Business Insider) After a years-long court battle that went all the way to the Supreme Court, a Missouri-based trucking giant is settling two class-action suits with its truck drivers. The decision makes up to 26,000 current and former drivers eligible for a $28 million payout.

Naval Dome: Cyberattacks on OT Systems on the Rise
(The Maritime Executive) The maritime industry’s operational technology (OT) systems are vulnerable to a rising number of cyberattacks, with incidents expected to reach record volumes by the year’s end. Attacks on maritime stakeholders have already increased by 900 percent over the last three years, according to Israeli cybersecurity firm Naval Dome.

The Trump Administration Says Its Overhaul of an Unpopular Trucking Safety Law Will Save Taxpayers $4 Billion
(Business Insider) The Department of Transportation announced that planned reforms to the hours-of-service (HOS) law will save American taxpayers more than $4 billion over about 14 years—roughly $287 million a year—by reducing regulatory costs.

US May Need to Nationalize Military Aircraft Industry, USAF Says
(Defense One) The United States might need to nationalize parts of the military aviation sector if the Pentagon does not come up with new ways to buy planes that stimulate more competition in private industry, a top Air Force official warned.

Navy Automates Supply Chain Analysis for Microelectronics
(FedScoop) The small computer chips in just about everything from weapon systems to IT platforms often take a long and winding supply chain journey before joining Department of Defense networks. So, the Navy recently acquired a new supply chain risk assessment tool for quicker analysis of its microelectronics and to serve as an example in monitoring broader supply chains for IT-related products.

The 5 Ws of Reshoring Supply Chains
(Supply Chain Dive) The decision to reshore is a balance between price and risk and a trend that started long before the coronavirus pandemic.

Expanded Cargo Preferences May Be the Easiest Way to Rebuild the U.S. Maritime Industry
(Forbes) The current high-cost structure of U.S. merchant shipping is directly related to the loss of economies as subsidized foreign carriers have driven U.S. ships from the marketplace. If U.S. shipping and shipbuilding made a comeback as a result of expanded cargo preferences, the cost structure would likely change.

Supply Chain Shifts from China Boost US Southeast, Gulf Ports—CBRE
(American Shipper) US Southeast and Gulf Coast seaports and industrial distribution hubs will be the prime beneficiaries of US firms shifting supply chains from China due to disruptions from the coronavirus pandemic and higher tariffs from the US-China trade war, according to a report published Thursday by real estate and logistics services giant CBRE Inc.

‘Lightning in Her Veins’: How Katie Arrington is Convincing Defense Contractors to Love Cybersecurity
(C4ISRNet) Arrington’s title is clunky: chief information security officer for acquisition in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment. Translated, she’s leading the Pentagon’s effort to add new cybersecurity requirements for the 300,000 companies that do business with the Pentagon. Her challenge, almost every day, is to convince industry it should embrace the Defense Department’s new auditing standards, which are aimed at improving cybersecurity.

USDOT Issues Final Rule for Transporting LNG by Rail Tank Car
(Progressive Railroading) The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), in consultation with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), late last week issued a final rule authorizing the bulk transportation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by rail.

Pentagon Wants to Give Contractors an Extra Year to Remove Chinese Tech
(FedScoop) The Department of Defense is considering giving contractors an extra year to rid their networks of technology from Huawei, ZTE, and other Chinese companies.

House Lawmakers Vote to Raise Mandatory Insurance Coverage to $2 Million
(FreightWaves) Lawmakers marking up the U.S. House of Representatives’ version of the surface transportation reauthorization bill have approved an amendment to more than double the required amount of insurance coverage for truck owners from $750,000 to $2 million.

A New Program for Those Looking to Learn the Ins and Outs of Defense Contracting
(Federal News Network) Defense contracting is a multi-hundred-billion-dollar activity. It can also be highly technical and demanding. Now the University of Oklahoma’s Graduate School of Business has launched an online graduate degree program for aerospace and defense. Joining me with the details, the program director, Shad Satterthwaite.

In War, Chinese Shipyards Could Outpace US in Replacing Losses; Marine Commandant
(Breaking Defense) “Replacing ships lost in combat will be problematic,” Marine Commandant Gen. David Berger writes in a forthcoming paper. “Our industrial base has shrunk while peer adversaries have expanded their shipbuilding capacity. In an extended conflict, the United States will be on the losing end of a production race.”

As a Global Superpower, America Depends on World-Class Logistics Providers
(The National Interest) One area where the United States has a significant advantage over any other nation, particularly potential adversaries, is in logistics.

TRANSCOM Pulls Back $7 Billion Contract to Privatize Military Household Goods Moves
(Military Times) A $7.2 billion contract for outsourcing the management of moving service members’ household goods has been pulled back by the U.S. Transportation Command.

Air Force Acquisition Chief Wants to Reshape Defense Industrial Base
(Federal Computer Week) The Air Force’s increasing interest in startups isn’t just to get a taste of innovation but completely change the defense industrial base by pivoting away from the defense prime model (while still working with those companies) and create a new industrial base that more easily allows tech companies to simultaneously work with the Defense Department and the commercial sector.

Senate’s Defense Bill Looks to Pump Money into Shipbuilding Suppliers
(Defense News) Despite howls of criticism from Congress over the Navy’s seven-ship budget request earlier this year, the Senate Armed Services Committee’s markup of the National Defense Authorization Act stopped short of adding extra ships. Instead, lawmakers are opting to authorize the purchase of long-lead-time materials to keep the industrial base healthy.

Why the Jones Act is Still Needed 100 Years Later
(Defense News) One hundred years ago today, President Woodrow Wilson enacted a law that would become known as the Jones Act. Its purpose was to help the U.S. shipping industry recover after World War I. Yet few could have predicted how vital it would become to our national security and economic prosperity a full century later — especially during a pandemic.

House Democrats Release Nearly $500 Billion Infrastructure Bill
(Transportation Today) As the clock winds down on the current surface transportation authorization, Democrats on the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee have unveiled a nearly $500 billion package designed to fix a backlog of infrastructure issues, create jobs, and prop up public transit.

CMMC Accreditation Body Close to Releasing Assessor Training Requirements
(Federal News Network) The leaked or mistakenly-made public details of the assessment and certification processes under the Defense Department’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program shed some initial bright light on the accreditation body’s (AB) thinking.

U.S. Sanctions Advisory Raises Hurdles for Global Maritime Industry
(Reuters) Ship owners and insurers say it may be impossible for the maritime industry to fully comply with the Trump administration’s new guidelines on how to avoid sanctions penalties related to Iran, North Korea and Syria, raising the risk of disruptions in a sector already struggling with the fallout of the coronavirus outbreak.

EXIM Board Unanimously Approves Amended Financing of U.S. Exports to Mozambique LNG Project and Support of More U.S. Jobs in Additional States
(Export-Import Bank of the United States [EXIM]) The Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) has unanimously voted to amend the agency’s previously approved September 2019 direct loan supporting U.S. exports for the development and construction of an integrated liquefied natural gas (LNG) project located on the Afungi Peninsula in northern Mozambique. As a result, the transaction now will support an increased number—16,700—of estimated American jobs over the five-year construction period.

Carriers Prepare to Bid Farewell to the Old Bill of Lading
(Splash247.com) The Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA), which features the IT expertise of the world’s top liners, is determined to consign the centuries-old bill of lading to history.

FMCSA Publishes Final HOS Rule, Granting Flexibility to Drivers
(Transport Topics) The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has published its long-awaited final rule on changes to hours-of-service regulations in a move intended to increase flexibility for truck drivers.

ICYMI Force Projection: Port Diversification Generates Strategic Readiness
(US Army) If and when America goes to war, we will fight by, with, and through seaports. These critical nodes at home and abroad are key to projecting the nation’s decisive military force.

Back to the Future: Wind Power Could Cut Shipping’s CO2 Emissions
(The Maritime Executive) As a significant contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the marine shipping industry is under significant pressure to meet ambitious carbon emission reductions of half the 2008 level by 2050. And the answer—as Bob Dylan famously sang—is blowing in the wind.

Amazon is Moving a Major Part of Its Air-Cargo Operations In-House, and It Could Be a Huge Blow to Airlines
(Business Insider) Amazon’s playbook in transportation has always been to work with partners and then mimic their services in-house—usually for much cheaper. Now, Amazon’s partners in air cargo are experiencing that.

Virgin Orbit Gets Thumbs-Up for Space Force Launches From Guam
(C4ISRNet) VOX Space has received approval to launch payloads into orbit from Guam, the company announced May 7, and its first launch there will place experimental cubesats on orbit for various government agencies.

Is Automotive CyberSecurity a National Defense Issue?
(Forbes) Recently, the US Congress released a bipartisan draft of a new autonomous vehicle bill. One of the most interesting aspects of the bill was its emphasis on cybersecurity.

Amazon Wants to Train Veterans to Start Their Own Delivery Businesses
(Military.com) While Amazon reported massive growth in the first quarter of 2020, the online sales giant needs more delivery assets. And it wants American military veterans to be those assets.

The Pentagon’s Cybersecurity Certification Plan Includes Continuously Monitoring Contractors
(Nextgov) The accreditation body overseeing the Defense Department’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program—the CMMC-AB—issued a request for proposal that provides insight into how the group plans to keep track of contractors outside of conducting physical audits.

Deployment of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Powered Trucks Will Require Fueling Networks, Clear Business Cases
(Transport Topics) A hydrogen-powered commercial truck built by Hyundai was set to begin hauling groceries in Switzerland in April. While fuel cell truck tests also are underway in the United States and elsewhere, these early trips in Switzerland are the initial steps toward the creation of a hydrogen-fueled highway delivery network built on a clear business case.

OPEC+ Agrees Biggest Output Cut Ever
(Maritime Executive) OPEC+ has agreed to cut oil output by a record 9.7 million barrels per day (around 10 percent of global supply) for the months of May and June.

Options Expand for Trailer Aerodynamics
(Transport Topics) Many trucking companies add various aerodynamic systems to their trailers to boost fuel economy, but how much fuel can these products truly save in real-world operating conditions?

Robots and the Autonomous Supply Chain
(Forbes) From warehouses and stores, to highways and in mines, and in last mile deliveries, autonomous technology continues to make an impact on the supply chain.

How 3PLs Are Evolving to Stay Competitive
(Transport Topics) The third-party logistics business is undergoing a dramatic, technology-­driven transformation. The rise of digital freight matching, automated transactions, and end-to-end shipment tracking is altering the way that 3PLs interact with their shipper customers and motor carriers alike.

As Oil Industry Nears Collapse, Saudi Arabia May Have No Option But to Blink First In Its Price War with Russia
(South China Morning Post) Given coronavirus-weakened demand, and with Russia in a better financial position to ride out the price rout, a heavily indebted Saudi Arabia simply cannot afford to sell at such low prices for much longer, unless it wishes to take the oil industry down with it

Finding, Keeping, and Advancing Women in the Transportation Workforce
(Transportation Research Board [TRB]) The transportation industry is expecting an all-encompassing need for an increased qualified workforce. Retirements are creating countless new open positions in the public transit, highways, airports, and marine industries. A new outline released by TRB for how the public transit industry can—and already is—attracting, retaining, and advancing women is applicable to other modes of transportation as well.

7 Military Move Changes Coming This Spring
(Military.com) Officials are rolling out a series of small changes aimed at making military moves a little less stressful, just in time for 2020’s busiest permanent change-of-station (PCS) period.

Forget Fuel Tanks and Batteries: This New Electric Jet Concept Uses Air Friction to Generate Power
(Robb Report) While the most current trend in business aviation is all about creating the next generation of electric and hybrid-powered aircraft, a new kind of space race could emerge if the physics actually support the theory behind Eather One, which uses friction between the air and high speeds of the jet as its primary source of renewable, on-demand energy.

What Taiwan Can Teach the World on Fighting the Coronavirus
(NBC News) Taiwan put lessons it learned during the 2003 SARS outbreak to good use, and this time its government and people were prepared.

Oil Prices Plunge by a Third After Saudi Arabia Launches Output War
(Reuters) Oil prices lost as much as a third of their value on Monday in their biggest daily rout since the 1991 Gulf War after Saudi Arabia signaled it would hike output to win market share when the coronavirus has already left the market oversupplied.

The Pentagon’s First Class of Cybersecurity Auditors is Almost Here
(Fifth Domain) The Pentagon hopes to have the first class of auditors to evaluate contractors’ cybersecurity ready by April, according to a top Department of Defense official. The auditors will be responsible for certifying companies under the new Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC).

Emerging Intact from Impacts of Coronavirus Will Be a Slow Crawl for Supply Chain and Logistics
(Logistics Management) It is safe to say, at this point, society and the global economy, in a sense, will need to crawl before they walk, in order to get a handle on the ongoing and relentless impact of the coronavirus.

Sea Trials Begin for Artificial Intelligence “Captain”
(The Maritime Executive) IBM and marine research organization Promare have announced that a new artificial intelligence captain (AI Captain) will enable the Mayflower autonomous ship to self-navigate across the Atlantic later this year.

With the Promise of Faster Speed, Inventory Moves Closer to Consumers
(Supply Chain Dive) Amazon could deliver nearly everything to the lower 48 states within two days by air freight. The decision to offer one-day shipping changed the equation.

Strengthening the US Defense Maritime Industrial Base: A Plan to Improve Maritime Industry’s Contribution to National Security
(Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments [CSBA]) A new report by CSBA finds that a robust maritime industry, and the policies that support it, are increasingly important in an era of great power competition. However, the maritime industry and the broader national security innovation base face a range of pressures that undermine their long-term viability, ability to innovate, and capacity to support future military operations.

New Adaptive Acquisition Policies for Defense Contractors
(Federal News Network) Contractors may not all be aware of the Defense Department’s new adaptive acquisition framework. But they should be. Eight acquisition policies are going to pop out of it in the next few months.

The Vital Role Played by Logistics During Humanitarian Crises
(World Economic Forum) Maintaining supply chains is crucial in responding effectively to humanitarian crises. The Logistics Emergency Teams (LET), the first public-private partnership of its kind, pools the expertise and resources of its member organizations. 

CargoMetrics Data Reveals Depth of China Cargo Collapse
(American Shipper) Just how severely has the coronavirus curtailed cargo flows to and from China, the world’s most important trade engine? Chinese government data is both after-the-fact and suspect, but Boston-based big-data company CargoMetrics is now providing a real-time answer.

Why Boeing’s T-7 Red Hawk Trainer is Shaping Up to Be a Breakthrough Success for the U.S. Air Force
(Forbes) If you look inside the T-7 program, it is apparent that something is going on here. Boeing and teammate Saab aren’t just developing a training system, they are fashioning what amounts to a prototype for the digital engineering revolution that is a top Air Force priority.

Searches for Suppliers Outside China Double as Coronavirus Spreads
(Supply Chain Dive) Shippers are seeking alternative suppliers outside of China to make up for delays resulting from the continued production standstill in China’s Hubei​ province caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Will Drivers Still Be There When Freight Markets Rebound?
(Trucks.com) The American labor market today is about as good as it gets. However, trucking is an exception, especially after the soft freight market of the past year and a half.

The Military’s Contractor Cyber Standards Are Officially Here
(FedScoop) The Pentagon has issued the final standards under the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC). Version 1.0 marks the first step towards implementing the new cybersecurity standards into all Department of Defense contracts.

Global Logistics 2020: Mixed Feelings Permeate Operations
(Logistics Management) Last year was another extremely turbulent period of time for the global transport and logistics industry. With 2019 in the rearview mirror, here’s what should be on your radar for 2020.

Freight All Kinds: Making Military Logistics Work in the 2020s and Beyond
(FreightWaves) In the private sector, problems with supply chain agility and resilience might lead to a poor quarter or two. For the military, a lack of supply chain resilience can complicate the armed services’ capability to meet dynamic threats, diluting the nation’s global power and perhaps undermining its security.

Qualcomm Antitrust Case Raises Far-Reaching National Security Concerns
(Forbes) On February 13, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit will begin hearing oral arguments in a case that could potentially enable China to surpass the U.S. in cutting-edge communications technology.

Britain is Leaving the European Union Today. The Hard Part Comes Next
(CNN) After three-and-a-half years, three prime ministers and seemingly endless votes in Parliament since the 2016 Brexit referendum, Britain finally becomes the first ever country to leave the European Union.

2020 Cybersecurity Predictions: Evolving Vulnerabilities on the Horizon
(The Hill) Cybersecurity threats are seemingly omnipresent in today’s hyper-connected, digital world. In fact — no surprise here — they will only continue to increase in sophistication, frequency, diversity, scale, and scope this year and in the near future.

Saudi Arabia’s Phone Hacking Shows We Need Better Encryption — Not Backdoors
(Defense One) Before the world learned that history’s richest man had been hacked by agents of Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Saudi dissidents and human rights activists had received similar treatment. But the Bezos hack, and the others like it, show the limits of even good message security in the face of a known attacker.

5 Trends Set To Disrupt Global Supply Chains In 2020
(Forbes) Explore the top five common trends, risks, and opportunities that will come to the forefront in the next 12 months and beyond, according to supply chain experts.

Commentary: Modernizing Africa’s Logistics Capacity, One Startup at a Time
(Freight Waves) As the supply chain logistics landscape changes in the developing world, and specifically in Africa, what difficulties still exist and how are African startups tackling these problems?

Travel Megatrends 2020: Subscription Travel Is the Next Frontier of Loyalty
(Skift) Subscription and membership models will come to travel over the next decade, just not how you might think.

The Self-Healing Supply Chain
(Forbes) Supply planning provides a solid return on investment. At the heart of a supply planning solution is a model of the supply chain process or some may consider it a digital twin.

California Trucking Gets Temporary Reprieve from Law Restricting Independent Contractors
(Heavy Duty Trucking) Trucking got a temporary reprieve from California’s AB5, a new law in effect Jan. 1 severely limiting the ability to use independent contractors.

Uncle Sam Has Contracts Available
(Travel Weekly) Learn about opportunities for travel agencies at the federal level.

IMO 2020: Think Twice Before Finger Pointing
(Seatrade Maritme News) With the implementation of International Maritime Organization Low Sulphur Regulation (or IMO 2020), concerns keep on growing amid recently announced bunker adjustment factors by carriers and the apparently far-from-enough low-sulphur output from global oil refiners.

Patent Pending: IBM’s Plan for Vehicle Platooning on the Blockchain
(Supply Chain Dive) Vehicle platooning, depending on who you ask, is the future of fleet management or an over-hyped technology with no business case. Communication is key in platooning, and in a patent application IBM makes the case that blockchain is one option.

New NAFTA Leaves Winners and Losers Across North America
(Bloomberg) Companies, workers and lawmakers in three countries have spent the past year in limbo awaiting final touches on the US-Mexico-Canada free-trade agreement. Now they have a better sense of who won—and who lost.

A Truckload Giant Just Filed for Bankruptcy, and It Leaves Nearly 3,000 Truck Drivers Jobless

(Business Insider) Indianapolis-based Celadon, a truckload carrier that grossed $1 billion as recently as 2015, filed for bankruptcy on Dec. 9. It’s poised to be the largest truckload bankruptcy in history.

Trade War Update: China Cuts Tariffs, Signaling December Truce

(Forbes) China and the U.S. can’t agree on soy export increases, but China’s decision to cut tariffs on soy and pork are just as good for now and signals a high probability that Washington will not raise tariffs on December 15.

Is College Worth It? A Georgetown Study Measures Return on Investment — with Some Surprising Results
(The Washington Post) Is college worth it? Researchers at the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce tried to answer that question. Forty years after enrollment, bachelor’s degrees from private colleges have the highest returns on investment. The only two public schools to make that top 10 list are maritime academies.

Should Ships Have Speed Limits?
(Popular Mechanics) This week, officials from the UN will meet to hear proposals to cut shipping industry emissions by introducing speed limits. Some within the industry disagree with the idea of speed limits, but all are united to reduce emissions—they just disagree on how best to do that.

Automation and Technology Could Help Cull the Driver Shortage Next Decade
(FleetOwner) Can self-driving trucks attract more drivers into the industry? That’s the argument of some trucking technology companies as they continue to work toward high levels of automation in freight transport.

The 2019 Top 50 Global Freight Carriers: Growth Continues Despite Trade Tensions
(Transport Topics) The majority of the world’s largest freight carriers expanded their businesses last year as they continued to enjoy strong demand in many key markets, despite an ongoing realignment of international trade agreements.

Rail Industry Sees a Window of Opportunity Amidst Challenges for Over-the-Road Shipping
(Forbes) Demand for rail freight will continue to rise due to increased road congestion, making rail a key enabler for driving a competitive advantage within the supply chain. Yet several major barriers and imbalances exist in the rail transportation network that continue to challenge shippers, carriers, and investors alike.

Could the World Cope If GPS Stopped Working?
(BBC News) What would happen if GPS—the Global Positioning System—stopped working? For a start, we would all have to engage our brains and pay attention to the world around us when getting from A to B.

Perspective: What AB 5 Means for California Trucking
(Transport Topics) The trucking industry is a place where an entrepreneurial workforce can thrive, especially for owner-operators who choose to work as independent contractors. But California’s recent passage of a law that will limit when and how a business can contract with an owner-operator for trucking services is causing concern.

Report: Seafarers Need Games, Shore Leave and Internet
(Maritime Executive) As all modes of transportation seek to attract and retain workers, new research by Cardiff University urges shipping companies to provide more amenities for seafarers. Lack of internet access, long periods away from friends and family, poor accommodation and food were among the leading causes of concern for those working at sea.

Five Common Pitfalls for Supply Chain Digital Transformation
(Supply Chain Digital) A few common issues affect companies’ digital supply chain transformations. Avoiding these pitfalls will help organizations sustain the value creation from their digital transformation efforts.

Could Airports Be the Next Hubs for Disruptive 3D Printing? 
(Air Cargo World) 3D printing hubs, if strategically located, could speed up delivery times and improve efficiencies while bypassing various political risks and trade barriers. Some stakeholders are already experimenting with the use of this technology, and airports may present an attractive hub for the technology given their position and connectivity to various supply chains.

A Global Shipping Revolution Is Weeks Away—Here Are the Likely Winners and Losers
(CNBC) On January 1, 2020, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) will impose new emissions standards designed to significantly curb pollution produced by the world’s ships. Take a look at those best placed to cope with the rule change, as well as those likely to struggle with what has previously been described as the “biggest change in oil market history.”

FMCSA Launches Job Listing Site for Military Driver Pilot Program
(Transport Topics) The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has created a website to help people between the ages of 18 and 20 who possess the U.S. military equivalent of a commercial driver license find trucking jobs. The website presents information about trucking companies that are approved to hire drivers as part of FMCSA’s Under 21 Military Driver Pilot Program.

Are Airlines About to Figure Out the Fastest Way to Board a Plane?
(Forbes) The airline industry knows how to fly jet planes, but can’t come up with a fast and efficient way to get passengers into their seats—Gatwick Airport aims to change this. At Departure Gate 101, the London airport has started using large digital screens to tell passengers the precise order in which to board.

Visibility into Operations is the Biggest Issue Plaguing Supply Chains
(Freight Waves) Rising consumer expectations on delivery standards have compelled supply chains to react faster and push for digitalization, to ensure transparency across stakeholders and visibility into operations. Though it makes obvious sense to say visibility increases efficiency, the push towards greater operational visibility has remained a difficult task.

More Supply Chain Than You Can Imagine
(Material Handling & Logistics) Are you ready for what’s coming next in the supply chain? From disruptive technologies to where to find talent will we find the talent to how to satisfy the constant, 24/7/365 supply chain mentality, MH&L’s experts will help you prepare for the future.

How This Community College is Preparing Students for Careers in Aviation
(PBS NewsHour) According to Boeing, 800,000 new pilots will be needed worldwide over the next 20 years. In Bend, Oregon, a community college is preparing students to resolve this critical need—and cultivate their own career success.

The Battle to Digitize Truck Brokerage: Who Will Win?
(Benjamin Gordon) Digital freight brokers are challenging the incumbents. Will the winner be a startup like Convoy, Transfix, or Uber Freight? Or a giant like XPO, CH Robinson, or Echo?

5G is Coming. This Verizon Partnership Aims to Show How It Will Disrupt Manufacturing
(CNN) In a new partnership with industrial manufacturer Corning, Verizon aims to demonstrate the real life impact of 5G technology, by deploying and testing the effects of a 5G network in one of Corning’s largest manufacturing facilities. The companies will work together to test existing theories and develop new solutions for how 5G can make manufacturing more efficient, effective and safe.

Supply-Chain Planning and Execution Work Better Together
(Supply Chain Brain) The ability to rapidly sense, analyze, optimize and respond is now king. It is the time to realize the convergence of supply-chain planning and execution, made possible by new business realities, advances in technology and cultural readiness.

The Role of Geo-Information in the Future
(The Maritime Executive) Dr. Mathias Jonas, Secretary General of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), provides insights into mapping the sea floor, navigation and the future of autonomous shipping.

Are Australian Road Trains the Solution to the US Driver Shortage?
(Supply Chain Dive) In solving for crucial supply chain issues, Australia found a workaround that could have implications for driver shortages and transportation hurdles in the U.S.

New Brexit Deal is Still Bad for Business and the UK Economy
(CNN) British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he has secured a “great new deal” on Brexit. But the agreement he’s struck with the European Union would erect significant trade barriers for companies operating in the United Kingdom, reduce growth and leave the country poorer.

Amazon Set to Be Next Big U.S. Defense Contractor—Critics Urge for ‘Effective Oversight’
(Big Think) In 2007, Amazon and the U.S. engaged in virtually zero collaboration. But now, Amazon could soon become one of the government’s largest defense contractors, an unprecedented move that raises questions about the changing relationship between government and big tech.

Regulations Prompt Freight Rail Sector to Address Cybersecurity
(Frieght Waves) As freight railroads move to digitize their processes, rail companies are also looking into safeguarding their systems against hacking and other malicious attempts to disrupt freight rail operations.

FAR Council Publishes Proposed Rule Limiting the Use of LPTA Procurements
(JD Supra) The FAR Council has finally published its proposed rule which furthers Congress’s plan to limit the use of Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) source selection criteria.