EPA Clears Path for Texas Deepwater Port, Fueling Controversy Over US Oil Exports on Supertankers

(gCaptain.com) The Environmental Protection Agency has given its blessing for a proposed Texas oil port capable of exporting 1 million barrels of oil a day, even as the terminals face increasing scrutiny from environmental activists, progressive lawmakers and local officials.

The agency said it “does not object to the issuance of a license” for Sentinel Midstream LLC’s Texas Gulflink Deepwater Port. The company, which is backed by private equity firm Cresta Fund Management, still needs final approval via a record of decision from the Transportation Department’s Maritime Administration. The decision is expected by December 12.

Cold Storage Boom: North American Ports Embrace Reefer Revolution

(gCaptain.com) The refrigerated cargo/reefer business has emerged as an unexpected port and terminal industry “super star,” speakers said at the annual meeting of the American Association of Port Authorities in Boston. Given consistent, sustained growth of this cargo and aging port-related infrastructure, a few North American ports have major cold storage building projects underway.

California, Major Airlines to Work to Boost Sustainable Aviation Fuel Use

(Reuters.com) The State of California and a group representing major US passenger and cargo airlines reached an agreement to sharply boost the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The California Air Resources Board (CARB) and Airlines for America, an industry trade organization representing American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, FedEx and others, committed to increasing the availability of SAF for flights within California to 200 million gallons by 2035. That would meet about 40% of intrastate travel demand and is more than 10 times current levels.

New Philly Shipyard Owners Promise ‘Big Time’ Investment

(USNI.org) A top executive of a Korean conglomerate that’s buying a Philadelphia shipyard pledged to bring the facility back its 1940s prominence.

“We will be investing in Philly big time,” said Michael Smith, the newly named chief executive officer of Hanwha Defense USA. The yard is primarily known now for building Jones Act ships. US requires ships engaged in domestic maritime trade to be built in the United States. The yard produces about 50 percent of the largest domestically built commercial vessels, including tankers and container ships, according to the company.

IMO Proposes ‘Pricing Mechanism’ for Ships to Reduce Ghg Emissions

(American Journal of Transportation) United Nations’ International Maritime Organization (IMO) is considering a ‘pricing mechanism’ to accelerate international shipping’s transition away from greenhouse gases (ghg) and toward zero emissions. The proposal came out of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) session at IMO Headquarters in London. The IMO announced October 10 the development of mid-term measures to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions to meet the ambitions set out in the 2023 IMO Strategy on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships.

Mass Maritime Academy Welcomes New Training Ship ‘Patriot State’ to Buzzard Bay

The Massachusetts Maritime Academy celebrated the arrival of its new training ship, the Patriot State, in Buzzards Bay on October 11. The ship is the second of five purpose-built, state-of-the-art training vessels commissioned for America’s five state maritime academies. The US Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) spearheaded this program, which provides world-class training for future mariners while supporting humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions.

Pentagon Pressing on with F-35 Engine Upgrade

(FlightGlobal.com) The Pentagon is reaffirming its commitment to delivering an engine upgrade for the Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighter. Propulsion supplier Pratt & Whitney received a $1.3 billion contract from the US Department of Defense (DOD) to continue development work on the Engine Core Upgrade (ECU) for company’s F135 turbofan, which powers the F-35.

First-of-its-kind Hypersonic Missile Killer Program Gets US Greenlight

(InterestingEngineering.com) The United States Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has decided to proceed with Northrop Grumman’s Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI) program, the first-of-its-kind defensive countermeasure against hypersonic missile threats. Working with the MDA for the past three years, Northrop says it has produced a design capable of defeating existing and emerging hypersonic threats. 

Marine Corps MQ-9 Reapers to Operate in Okinawa for Intelligence, Surveillance Ops

Up to six US Marine Corps MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles will operate from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa for a year to carry out Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions around the southwest region of Japan, according to a Japan Ministry of Defense and Foreign Ministry public document.

Exercise Agile Flag Creates Mission Ready Airmen

The 9th Reconnaissance Wing participated in exercise Agile Flag 24-3 throughout Southern California from July 31 to Aug. 11. This year’s iteration included the Command and Control force elements from the 23rd wing, and the 9th RW. Exercise Agile Flag plays a critical role in Air Combat Command’s transformation as the command evolves to provide relevant, combat credible forces through the Air Force Generation cycle. 

Air Force Says Restoring Nukes on Some B-52s Would Cost $4.5 Million

(Defense News) The Air Force estimates it would cost about $4.5 million to restore nuclear weapon capabilities on approximately 30 B-52 bombers. The House and Senate armed services committees included the recommendation in their respective defense policy bills for fiscal 2025. The bombers in question had previously been equipped with the ability to carry nuclear weapons but were converted to conventional aircraft about 10 years ago to comply with a key U.S.-Russia arms control treaty known as New START.

Canadian Shipbuilder Davie Wants to Invest in the U.S.

(USNI.org) Canada’s largest shipbuilder, Davie, is inspecting sites and seeking a U.S. partner “to make a long-term commitment to American shipbuilding” and expand its capacity, the White House announced Aug. 2. This was one of the announcements made by the Biden-Harris Administration on expanding domestic shipments.

Air Mobility Command Tries AI to Speed to Speed Up Airlift Planning

(Defense News) Complex logistical calculations can take hours or days. With Air Mobility Command’s new ARTIV software, it takes between five and 10 minutes, according to retired Air Force General Paul Selva, whose company uses AI technology to improve defense planning logistics.

It’s hard enough to figure out logistics when planners have plenty of time. When imminent war or humanitarian disaster requires airlift ASAP, they must wing it.

“That process is typically short-circuited, because whatever the crisis is, it’s in motion before the operational planners are able to complete their work,” said Gen. Selva.

‘Not Prepared’: Congressional Panel Calls for Huge Defense Buildup

(Army Times) America’s odds of fighting a major war are the highest in 80 years, and its military isn’t prepared for one. This was the finding of a bipartisan panel tasked by Congress to review U.S. defense strategy. The nearly 100-page report reveals a crisis of confidence in American national security.

3 Million Airline Passengers Screened for First Time

(TheHill) More than 3 million travelers were screened at airports across the country Sunday, July 8, marking the highest number ever for one day, the Transportation Security Authority (TSA) announced. TSA agents screened 3,013,413 people, surpassing the all-time high on June 23, when 2.99 million were screened. TSA checked 35 passengers per second, along with luggage and carry-on baggage.

Michigan, Navy and Pentagon Announce Partnership to Train Workers for Defense Production

(Military.com) Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer joined Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the U.S. Department of Labor to announce the launch of a $50 million partnership focused on workforce training for defense manufacturing. The Michigan Maritime Manufacturing Initiative, also known as M3, will train workers at local community colleges in skills for maritime construction. It is part of a Biden-Harris Administration strategic initiative to meet the Navy’s goal of increasing submarine production.

Pentagon Resumes Purchases of New F-35 Jets After Year Delay

(TheHill.com) The Defense Department has resumed the purchase of F-35s from defense contractor Lockheed Martin after more than a year of pausing the acquisition of newer versions of the fighter jets. Two of the newer F-35 Lightning IIs were delivered recently to Dannelly Field, Ala., and Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., the F-35 Joint Program Office.

FAA Short-staffed on Air Traffic Controllers, Technicians During Peak Travel Season, Union Warns

 (Federal News Network) The Federal Aviation Administration is facing staffing challenges during the peak travel season. Dave Spero, president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, which represents some FAA employees, said the agency is also short on technicians, which can result in longer equipment outages and more flight delays. It can take a newly hired FAA technician years to fully complete their training, said Spero.

Biden to Pardon Veterans Convicted Under Former Military Law that Banned Gay Sex

(Stars and Stripes) President Joe Biden announced he would pardon U.S. veterans convicted by the military during a 60-year period that banned gay sex. “Despite their courage and great sacrifice, thousands of LGBTQI+ service members were forced out of the military because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Some of these patriotic Americans were subject to court-martial and have carried the burden of this great injustice for decades,” Biden said in a statement. The granting of pardons won’t automatically change convicted veterans’ records but allows those impacted to apply for a certificate of pardon that “should help them unlock access” to receive withheld benefits, an official said.

Troops May Face Inflated Drug Costs Under Tricare, Lawmakers Say

A bipartisan group of 24 congressional lawmakers is questioning whether the Pentagon’s pharmacy contract may be driving up drug costs and limiting access to medication for Tricare beneficiaries, while overcharging independent pharmacies and taxpayers. The lawmakers are concerned that the Defense Health Agency has decided to retain Express Scripts as the sole pharmacy benefit manager for Tricare, the military insurance system serving 9.6 million troops, retirees, and their families.

Military Needs Better Recipe for Feeding Troops, Auditors Say

When it comes to feeding troops, the food chain is not the only chain that matters. The military must also address issues atop the chain of command to ensure service members get the nutrition they need, government auditors say. While the Defense Department has worked to improve nutritious options at military dining facilities to retain a fit and healthy force, gaps continue to limit officials’ ability to manage and evaluate the effectiveness of nutrition programs.

Pentagon Tech Hub to Launch Dozens of New Projects with FY24 Funding

The Defense Innovation Unit plans to spend most of its nearly $1 billion fiscal 2024 budget to accelerate existing projects and add new ones in technology areas like counter uncrewed aerial systems and space transport. The increase was approved for the Pentagon’s commercial technology hub to support its expanding mission to help the DoD quickly foster and field commercial capabilities in large numbers.

Airmen Flying B-52 Bombers Should Be More Comfortable, Lawmakers Say

(Air Force Times) Life aboard the military’s oldest bombers could become a little cozier under new legislation proposed on Capitol Hill. The House’s version of the 2025 defense policy bill wants to improve living accommodations aboard the B-52 Stratofortress, the Air Force’s long-range, nuclear-capable bomber in use since the 1960s. 

Chinese Military’s Rifle-toting Robot Dogs Raise Concerns in Congress

(Federal Times) Congress is worried that robot dogs with machine guns will be bounding onto the battlefield. During a debate over the annual defense authorization bill, House lawmakers inserted language in the military policy to require a new DoD assessment on “the threat of rifle-toting robot dogs used by China” in future conflicts.

House Defense Bill Takes Aim at Telework for DoD Employees, Contractors

(Federal Times) House lawmakers are seeking to use their version of the fiscal 2025 defense spending bill as an opportunity to tighten restrictions on telework for federal workers. The $833 billion bill was approved in a 217-199 vote and included a provision that would bar the Defense Department from paying for the costs of telework or remote work for any employee or contractor on a recurring basis.

TSA Now Accepts Digital IDs from These Nine States

(Forbes.com) Nearly 70 million Americans are now eligible to fly within the U.S. with a digital ID stored on their phones. At more than two dozen U.S. airports, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security checkpoints will accept a digital ID in lieu of a physical ID that is issued by Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, New York, or Utah. 

Advocates Urge Lawmakers to Up Pay Rates for Vets Unable to Work

(Stars and Stripes) Veterans advocacy groups urged House lawmakers last week to update eligibility rules and payment rates for the “individual employability” program that gives a tax-free monthly benefit to veterans who are unable to work but lack a 100 percent disability rating from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Under the program, veterans are eligible for full VA disability benefits after providing a work history of five years or more that shows problems obtaining and keeping employment.

Pentagon Looks Beyond Primes for Cheaper Drones

(Defense One) The Pentagon has picked four non-traditional defense contractors to develop drones that can be produced en masse and “on-call,” acknowledging that industry giants might not be up to providing the relatively inexpensive uncrewed systems that are looming larger in modern war. Anduril Industries, Integrated Solutions for Systems, Leidos Dynetics, and Zone 5 Technologies were selected to develop an “enterprise test vehicle” that can be built quickly and cheaply.

House Approps Bill Funds Single Virginia-class Sub, Cuts Landing Ship Medium in 4 Warship Buy

(USNI) In a split from the House Armed Service Committee, the House defense appropriators want to buy a single Virginia-class nuclear attack submarine in a draft of the Fiscal Year 2025 defense spending bill. The bill funds a $31.6 billion shipbuilding budget that includes two Flight III Arleigh Burke guided-missile destroyers, one San Antonio-class amphibious warship and the single Virginia-class attack boat that the Navy asked for in its budget submission.

How the Space Force Plans to Surge a Commercial Fleet During Wartime

(Defense One)  A new program, the Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve or CASR—based on the concept of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet—will ensure the Space Force can rely on commercial vendors’ space systems throughout a “spectrum of conflict,” said Col. Richard Kniseley, director of the Space Force’s year-old Commercial Space Office.

Op-Ed: Senator Kelly Throws U.S. Maritime Industry a Lifeline — Let’s Seize It

(gCaptain)  Following encouraging remarks from the Secretaries of Transportation and the Navy, Senator Mark Kelly delivered a compelling speech at the National Maritime Day ceremony. He emphasized the necessity to revitalize both the United States Merchant Marine, shipbuilding and the broader US maritime industry. 

Amid Rising Threats to Critical Infrastructure, CISA Developing ‘Physical Security’ Goals

(Federal News Network)  The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is known for putting out cybersecurity advisories and guidance that help network defenders stay aware of the latest digital threats and best practices. But the infrastructure security division at CISA is also working on ways to raise awareness about all-encompassing “physical security” threats to critical infrastructure sectors.

Embracing the Possibilities: Trucking’s AI Transformation

(Transport Topics)  The rise of artificial intelligence promises to change the way people work and how companies manage their businesses in all sorts of industries, and freight transportation is no exception. This transformation is not something that will arrive in the distant future, but a process that is already underway as technology developers begin to unlock the potential of AI and businesses start using it to solve various challenges.

Newport News Yard Seeks Experienced Workforce for Nuclear Shipbuilding

(Defense News)  HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding is taking its recruitment efforts on the road as it looks to bring in more employees to expand its nuclear shipbuilding workforce. The yard plans to hire 3,000 skilled tradespeople this year, but it needs to bring in 19,000 over the next decade. The existing training pipelines in the Hampton Roads region is unable to funnel enough new employees toward Newport News.

Memorial Day 2024

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Almost 2 Months After It Destroyed Baltimore’s Key Bridge, the Dali Cargo Ship Has Been Moved and Docked. Here’s What’s Next

(CNN)  After 55 days stuck in the Patapsco River, the Dali cargo ship was hauled away from the site of its catastrophic crash into the Francis Scott Key Bridge – a crucial step toward fully reopening the busy Port of Baltimore.

Opinion: Pentagon Acquisition Can No Longer Ignore the Industrial Base

(Defense News)  The Defense Department plans to release the implementation plan for its National Defense Industrial Strategy in early fall. America’s adversaries may not wait that long. Russia certainly isn’t waiting in Ukraine. Iran isn’t waiting in Israel. And from the Red Sea to the Taiwan Strait, America’s other adversaries aren’t likely to respect such a timeline.

Military Movers Urge DoD, Congress to Pause Household Goods Contract

(Federal News Network)  Many of the companies who currently handle military household goods moves have been vocal in their criticism of DoD’s new contract to overhaul the system. Up until now, they’ve been pressing the department to make changes to the Global Household Goods contract (GHC). Now though, under the auspices of a new coalition called Movers for America, they’re looking to stop its implementation altogether.

NIST Aims to Cut ‘Tech Speak’ From Cyber Workforce Framework

(Federal News Network)  After recent changes to the framework that defines cyber roles across government, leaders at the National Institute of Standards and Technology are already looking ahead to keep the needle moving on strengthening the federal cyber workforce.

Class I’s Continue to Team Up, Partner with Others to Exploit Intermodal Opportunities

(Progressive Railroading)  Cargo-handling was up at the Port of Los Angeles in Q1, a trend the port director expects to continue. That’s highly encouraging to North America’s largest railroads, which count on a high flow of exported and imported freight to help propel their intermodal traffic. The Class Is already have been reaping big volume and revenue gains with international intermodal traffic thanks to a number of favorable factors and macro trends.

Building the Next Generation of Professional Truck Drivers

(Supply & Demand Chain Executive)  The need for professional truck drivers continues to grow despite the shortage of workers. Despite offering more competitive salaries and flexible scheduling, trucking companies continue to encounter growing challenges in recruiting the next generation of truckers. However, as Gen Z faces rising college and living expenses, it is becoming more imperative to create alternate pathways that provide career opportunities for the emerging workforce. 

Commentary: Why Increasing the Value of Defense Primes is Good for the Country

(War on the Rocks)  In March 2023, the Department of Defense released a report declaring, “In aggregate, the defense industry is financially healthy, and its financial health has improved over time.” In fact, few people would argue that defense contracting isn’t a lucrative business. But if the defense industrial base, and in particular America’s traditional primes, is so healthy, then why is the government spending so much money to get so little innovation into the hands of servicemembers? 

Safety Practices, Culture Help Carriers Reduce Liability

(Transport Topics)  When a crash happens, it is a carrier’s policies, procedures and routines that could lead to a nuclear verdict.

Florida Man Sentenced for Selling Counterfeit Computer Systems for Fighter Jets

(Task & Purpose)  A Florida man was sentenced to 78 months in prison this week for a scheme selling counterfeit computer software that ended up being used by the Army, Navy and Air Force, among others. Onur Aksoy, 40, was sentenced at the start of May for selling tens of thousands of counterfeit Cisco computer software to several entities in the United States, including parts of the U.S. military’s supply chains.

Baltimore Welcomes its First Container Ship Since Bridge Collapse

(The Maritime Executive)  On Saturday, the Port of Baltimore received its first container ship since the tragic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge one month ago. The arrival is an important milestone for Baltimore businesses and longshoremen, who have been heavily impacted by the closure of the inner harbor. 

Defense Innovation Unit Moves to Ease Commercial Drone Certifications

(Defense News)  The Defense Innovation Unit wants to improve its process for vetting commercial drones, with the goal of making it easier for companies to sell their systems to the U.S. military.

US Finally Breaks Ground On Its First-Ever High-Speed Rail

(Popular Science)  Builders have officially broken ground on a new $12 billion train that could zoom travelers between Las Vegas and Los Angeles in just under two hours by the end of the decade. The new train, which is considered the first “high-speed” rail in the United States, could cut down commute time for travelers and reduce greenhouse gas emissions that would otherwise be emitted from cars and planes.

Logistics Supply Chain Shows Steadiness Amid Rough Waters

(Transport Topics)  During the past four years, supply chain and logistics companies have ridden the highs and lows of a market that included a pandemic and fractured economy to keep goods moving. Now, the industry is looking to build on lessons learned during the chaotic period while embracing new technologies and business models, in addition to preparing for the next major supply chain disruption.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on U.S. Microchip Production, Blocking of Sales to China, Russia

(CBS News)  What does the secretary of commerce do? Until now, mainly promote U.S. businesses abroad. It had not been a high-profile job til Gina Raimondo turned the second-tier agency into a center of job creation, manufacturing, and national security. 

Biden Admin, U.S. Ports Prep for Cyberattacks as Nationwide Infrastructure is Targeted

(CNBC)  A top Biden cybersecurity official urged the nation’s ports in a joint call to have their data encrypted, rapidly patch any vulnerabilities in critical systems, and have a well-trained cyber team as hacks targeting key U.S. infrastructure increase.

Transformative AI for the Modern Maritime Industry

(gCaptain)  Companies today are progressively embracing proven artificial intelligence technology to transform their productivity and competitiveness—and maritime is well-positioned to leverage the power of AI.

IEA Warns Attacks on Russia Plants May Disrupt Diesel Market

(Transport Topics)  Ukrainian drones have ramped up attacks on Russia’s oil industry this year in an attempt to disrupt fuel supplies to the military and curb the Kremlin’s revenue. But, the International Energy Agency (IEA) warns the flurry of attacks risks disrupting the global fuel market for petroleum products.

Biden Administration Announces Requirement for 2-Person Crews on Freight Trains

(The Hill)  The U.S. Department of Transportation issued a final rule Tuesday increasing the minimum size for train crews to two people, a longtime ask for rail worker unions, which nearly led to a strike in 2022.

Addressing Continued Turbulence: The Commercial-Aerospace Supply Chain

(McKinsey & Company)  A new, comprehensive supply-chain-management approach can help aerospace companies eliminate many of the disruptions that are contributing to a record-high aircraft order backlog.

How to 3D-Print a School in a War Zone

(CNN)  With its soft gray lines and sleek, curving exterior, Project Hive looks less like a school and more like a wellness retreat or modern art museum. It’s the first 3D-printed education center in Europe and the first building to be 3D-printed in a war zone, according to Jean-Christophe Bonis, founder of Team4UA, the non-profit responsible for the pilot project.

How to Keep China Out of the Pentagon’s Weapons

(Defense One)  Two summers ago, when Honeywell told the Pentagon it feared that a subcontractor had improperly put Chinese metals in some F-35 jet engines, the reaction was swift. We were lucky that time. Next time, could sabotaged or defective Chinese parts, or secret surveillance devices, be slipped into weapons or communications systems by unwitting vendors further down the defense supply chain?

Why Houthi Attacks in the Red Sea Are Likely to Persist: They’re Popular

(The Maritime Executive)  Since mid-November 2023 the shipping route through the Red Sea has been disrupted by a series of attacks on vessels by Yemen’s Houthi movement. The Houthis have presented their attacks as retaliation for Israel’s military assault in Gaza. However, even if a Gaza ceasefire were to be signed, there is a substantial likelihood that the Houthis would continue their attacks in the Red Sea.

Electrifying Trucking: $1 Trillion Needed for Infrastructure

(Transport Topics)  The Clean Freight Coalition commissioned a study to gain a better sense of what the switch to full electrification would cost to inform policymakers and the public. The organization was formed to advocate for lower emissions in trucking, but in an economically effective way. The study concluded that infrastructure upgrades alone would be a nearly $1 trillion expenditure.

Technology Still Doesn’t Supply the Insights Needed for Supply Chains

(Forbes)  More than three-fourths of supply chain executives are not prepared to observe and predict changes that may disrupt the flow of their business. Part of the problem is that much of it is not automated — these professionals report spending nearly 14 hours a week manually tracking data on inventory and shipments.

Northrop, DARPA Envision Moon ‘Railroad’ for Lunar Logistics

(Defense News)  The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is working with Northrop Grumman to flesh out a concept for a moon-based railroad network. The envisioned network could transport humans, supplies, and resources for commercial ventures across the lunar surface.

Win-Wind: How a Bipartisan Ships Act Could Meet China and Climate Challenges

(War on the Rocks)  The United States faces two serious challenges: China and climate change. Ships can help solve both of them.

Federal Government is – Once More – Counting Down to a Partial Shutdown

(CNN)  Congress is running up on yet another critical government funding deadline on March 22, with one week to go before the potential, partial shutdown of several critical departments.

Opinion: How Interoperability Benefits Military, Civil and Commercial Domains

(C4ISRNet)  Whether applied to military, commercial or consumer domains, interoperability can benefit every step of the supply chain by reducing overall costs and enabling rapid integration, as well as by improving the long-term sustainability and maintainability of fielded systems.

If Truckers Haul Bread and Cakes, Is Their Business Baking or Trucking?

(FreightWaves)  The never-ending question of defining the employment status of a truck driver, key to battles over California’s AB5 and the U.S. Department of Labor’s recent independent contractor status regulation, was on display this week at the U.S. Supreme Court.

Supply Chain Strains Set to Weigh on Aviation Industry Bounce-Back

(Reuters)  Parts shortages and delivery delays plaguing the global aviation industry are easing, but could take up to two years to resolve, firms at the Singapore Airshow said, adding to the pressures clouding a post-pandemic recovery in travel demand.

Social Media Platforms Open Fleets to Newer Recruiting Pool

(Transport Topics)  When he started driving for Ryder two years ago, Maurice Walker never thought he’d be a social media personality. Then, Walker agreed to be featured in a driver testimonial on Ryder’s YouTube channel. Since then, the video has been seen more than 1,200 times. Fleets like Ryder are looking more to social media platforms to increase brand awareness, reach new customers and, increasingly, find new employees. 

Houthis Step Up Attacks Hitting Second Ship and Possibly Downing US Drone

(The Maritime Executive)  The Houthis accelerated their attacks after a lull claiming four efforts in the past 24 hours emphasizing that they have been targeting U.S. and UK shipping interests. The wave of attacks came as the EU on Monday also confirmed it is accelerating its response saying that it expects to have at least four warships in the area in the coming weeks.

As Baltics See Spike in GPS Jamming, NATO Must Respond

(Breaking Defense)  For more than a month, aircraft flying in the Baltic region have been experiencing varying degrees of interference with GPS signals, according to public aircraft tracking databases. Previous reports have identified Russia as almost certainly behind the activity. Such jamming presents a risk to thousands of commercial aircraft, and as international pressure has so far failed to halt the interference, it’s time for NATO to act — proportionally.

Global Hotel Industry Bigwigs Convened Last Month. Here’s How that Impacts Your Next Trip

(The Points Guy)  The Americas Lodging Investment Summit, a major hotel conference held each January in Los Angeles, is an industry star-studded, three-day affair that usually points to where the hotel sector is heading for the rest of the year. There are plenty of reasons for travelers to be excited after this year’s ALIS. Major hotel leaders discussed new brands, new booking platforms in the works and far more amenities at the hotel level, to name a few.

USAF Tried an Electric Plane. Now It Wants to Buy

(Defense One)  The U.S. Air Force wants to buy battery-powered planes after it deployed BETA Technologies’ ALIA aircraft to one of the service’s bases. During testing, the aircraft flew over 55 missions, including cargo and logistics missions and a simulated casualty evacuation. The Defense Department, the world’s largest industrial producer of greenhouse gases, sees electric aircraft as a way to ease both maintenance and operational logistics in the Pacific.

Europe’s Marines in the Future European Littoral Operating Environment

(War on the Rocks)  Europe’s amphibious forces are at an inflection point when they will have to define their role in the future combat operating environment. These forces, which have traditionally represented a mechanism through which rapid reaction could be delivered on both Europe’s own maritime flanks and at reach, will be presented with challenges at sea and on land.

Head of US Space Force’s Commercial Hub Talks Vendor Opportunities

(Defense News)  Since its establishment last spring, the U.S. Space Force’s Commercial Space Office has been busy making connections with industry and creating pathways to deliver off-the-shelf capabilities and services to users. Col. Richard Kniseley, who leads the office, recently sat down with C4ISRNET to talk about the office’s accomplishments over the last year and its priorities for 2024.

With CMMC Looming, Military Services Explore Ways to Extend Secure Environments to Small Businesses

(DefenseScoop)  The U.S. Army and Navy are exploring arrangements to extend secure environments to their smaller defense industrial base partners who can’t afford to earn a cybersecurity accreditation with the Pentagon but provide innovative services the branches still want to leverage.

Climate Change and Conflict Converge to Disrupt Supply Chains

(Axios)  Geopolitical risks in the Red Sea and extreme weather in Central America are converging, jostling global supply chains fed by the Suez and Panama Canals. The impact on trade highlights what experts have long warned about, with compounding events amplifying the growing economic toll of climate change.

Pentagon Restarts Meetings to Implement New Industrial Strategy

(Defense News)  A week after releasing its first industrial strategy, the Pentagon is sprinting to meet with companies on how to put it into action. The meetings will focus both on feedback to the strategy and on how to best implement it, said Justin McFarlin, who leads Pentagon industrial base development and international outreach, in an interview with Defense News.

Electric Car Owners Confront a Harsh Foe: Cold Weather

(The New York Times)  With Chicago temperatures sinking below zero, electric vehicle charging stations have become scenes of desperation: depleted batteries, confrontational drivers and lines stretching out onto the street.

AI, Analytics, Automation Drive the Development of TMS

(Transport Topics)  From the stand-alone dispatching software of the past to today’s complex, integrated technology platforms that leverage cloud computing, transportation management systems have evolved to provide real-time data and advanced analytics to improve freight visibility and fleet decision-making.

Despite Warnings, Plenty of Vessels Continue to Use Red Sea Route

(The Maritime Executive)  Recent attacks on shipping in the Red Sea have made a big dent in traffic on the busy waterway, but it is by no means vacant – even after abundant warnings from government coalitions, industry groups and maritime security consultancies to avoid the area. 

Another Possible Challenge for DoD’s $18B Moving Contract: No Movers

(Federal News Network)  For the moment, the Pentagon’s transition to a new multibillion dollar contract for household goods moves is being held up by IT integration issues. But the long-planned overhaul faces a much more dire challenge: the possibility that almost no one in the current moving industry will take part in the new arrangement.

Industry Takes Fresh Look at Reverse Logistics

(Transport Topics)  Reverse logistics — the management and movement of returned goods — is one of the most significant systems in the economy, as it affects people and businesses in myriad ways, for example, post-holiday season when a high volume of gift returns are common. However, the returns journey, from purchase to receipt, is a complicated process.

War is from Mars, AI is from Venus: Rediscovering the Institutional Context of Military Automation

(Texas National Security Review)  For nearly a century, the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution has been just over the horizon, and yet that horizon is always receding. Dramatic advances in commercial AI once again inspire great hopes and fears for military AI. Perhaps this time will be different…

Delaying Aircraft Carrier Order Would Hurt Supply Chain, Shipbuilder Says

(Defense One)  Suppliers of critical parts for Ford-class aircraft carriers could suffer if the U.S. Navy delays a planned buy of the multibillion-dollar ships warned executives from HII, the only U.S. company that builds aircraft carriers. According to one executive, nearly half of the company’s suppliers “already risk going cold.”

Red Sea Protection Effort Faces Early Hurdles

(Defense One)  Since October, Houthi militants have launched missile and drone attacks at U.S. forces in the region and Israeli targets, and in the weeks since more than 15 commercial ships have come under attack from Iranian-backed Yemeni militant group. On Dec. 18, Secretary of Defense Austin announced Operation Prosperity Guardian, a multinational security mission to ensure safe transit through the region. However, while Washington hoped the new operation could have similar success to international anti-piracy efforts in Somalia, there are clear differences in the Houthi threat to shipping.

Proposed CMMC Rule Contains No Surprises, But Raises Some Initial Questions

(Federal News Network)  The Defense Department packed a lot of detail into its proposed rule for the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program, released just before the holiday break. But CMMC experts also see a lot of lingering questions that DoD will have to address in 2024 before finalizing the rule.

Port Leaders Cautiously Optimistic for 2024

(Transport Topics)  The nation’s port leaders are optimistic that 2024 will be good for container operators as billions in federal, state and private construction money pour into the facilities, and major projects — some already underway — allow them to chart their paths for the future.

Looking Ahead to 2024

• Will Rocket Cargo Work? Data Collected in 2024 May Hold the Answer.
• Projected 2024 Industry Trends Position Rail as Optimal Shipping Option
• Pentagon’s Acquisition Deputy Plumb Talks Stockpiles, Industrial Base
• International Airline Group Expects a Banner Year for Travel in 2024
• Semiconductor Supply Chain Outlook
• Ukraine’s Long Shadow: Four factors Shaping European Defense in 2024
• Eight Contract Opportunities to Watch in FY24

The Grinches Who Disrupted The Holidays, And Other Supply Chain Woes

(Forbes)  Holiday lore is filled with villains who try to turn happy times into giant lumps of coal. There was Dickens’ mean-spirited miser, Ebenezer Scrooge. Then we had the Grinch who tried to steal Christmas. And who could forget the Abominable Snow Monster who threatened a red-nosed reindeer destined to become a beacon for Santa’s sleigh? But have you heard this one – the story of an oil tanker that blocked a shipment of Sony PlayStation 2s just before the holidays?

Relief for Defense Subcontractors Drowning in a Sea of Contract Clauses

(Federal News Network)  For smaller suppliers, selling to DoD still isn’t a walk in the park – but things are getting a little simpler. Last month, the department enacted a long-awaited rule change that prohibits prime contractors from flowing unnecessary contract clauses down to their subcontractors. 

US, Allies in Talks on Naval Task Force to Protect Shipping in Red Sea

(MilitaryTimes)  The White House said Monday that the U.S. may establish a naval task force to escort commercial ships in the Red Sea, a day after three vessels were struck by missiles fired by Iranian-back Houthis in Yemen.

PODCAST: The Defense Department and the Rise of Commercial Spacepower

(War on the Rocks)  A recent podcast hosted a top-notch panel for a conversation on the increasing importance of commercial stakeholders in the exercise of military power in and from space. 

Feds Told to Start Rating ‘Unrated’ Trucking Companies for Safety

(FreightWaves)  Major trucking companies and brokers who book their freight are pressuring the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to attach a safety rating to carriers operating without such a rating — a situation that exists for over 90% of the freight market.

Biden Administration Announces Massive Logistics Plan

(FreightWaves)  The Biden administration has announced a huge plan to tackle issues plaguing the U.S. supply chain that covers several cross-government partnerships. In announcing the plan Monday, White House officials said the strategy of using both domestic tools and international partnerships can help diversify and strengthen the U.S. supply chain. 

Army Acquisition Chief: As Industry Innovation Races Ahead, Service Struggles with Resources, Training

(Breaking Defense)  While the Army is seeing more innovation from the commercial sector, it’s still struggling with resources when it comes to training and affordability, while at the same time trying to understand how to best utilize emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, according to the service’s top acquisition official.

Winterization Process Requires Preparation, Training

(Transport Topics)  From treacherous road conditions to freezing temperatures, even the most conscientious of drivers need to exert caution on the roads during the winter. There are plenty of steps that both fleets and drivers should take in order to maximize safety. Perhaps the most important is to not wait until winter is already here.

Security Remains a Challenge as Pentagon Broadens 5G Plans

(Defense One)  5G communications could help U.S. military pilots fly better sorties and allow ground units detect and outmaneuver their adversaries—but only if U.S. telecommunications companies can find ways to keep that battlefield data safe from China, a top Pentagon communications official said.

Airlines Predict Record Thanksgiving US Holiday Travel

(Reuters)  Major U.S. airlines and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said Monday they expect record air travel over the Thanksgiving holiday air travel period. Airlines for America, an industry group representing American Airlines United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and others, forecasts 29.9 million passengers between Nov. 17-27, an all-time high and up 9% over the 27.5 million in the same period last year — and up 1.7 million passengers over pre-COVID record levels.

DOD’s New AI and Data Strategy Gives Industry a Challenge: Share

(Defense One)  The Pentagon’s new data, analytics, and AI adoption strategy focuses on data shareability, with the aim of better enabling all-domain command and control. But the biggest challenge, DOD’s chief digital and AI officer said, will be getting tech companies to work together instead of keeping their data to themselves. 

Supply Chain Impacts From the Middle East Conflict

(DC Velocity)  There are economic and supply chain impacts to the ongoing Mideast conflict. Here’s how supply chains in the region are affected — and how the rest of the world could be impacted. 

Getting Serious About Enhancing U.S. Defense Partnerships 

(War on the Rocks)  The role of U.S. allies and partners lies at the center of the U.S. defense strategy, as their military cooperation provides the United States with an edge that near-peer competitors like China and Russia cannot match. Yet, despite years of efforts by senior Department of Defense officials to make the defense acquisition system more agile and flexible, the system retains a culture inherently resistant to foreign cooperation because it was built for a prior era of U.S. technological dominance.  

Manufacturing Woes Could Sink US Sub Fleet. Can 3D Printing Save It?

(Defense News)  The Navy has already used additive manufacturing to print small repair parts on ships at sea, including circuit covers and radio knobs that would be difficult and expensive for the service to access while deployed. But by next year, as the workload for the U.S. submarine-industrial base ramps up to its highest level in 40 years, the Navy will 3D-print metal parts as standard components for installation on new-construction submarines.

Pentagon’s First Industrial Base Strategy Meant to ‘Catalyze Generational Change’

(Breaking Defense)  The Defense Department’s first ever national defense industrial strategy, slated for release in December, will create a roadmap for the department on how it plans to prioritize and modernize its industrial base as it learns from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, an official said this week. There are four key areas the strategy focuses on: having resilient supply chains, workforce readiness, flexible acquisitions and a focus on economic deterrence and economic security. 

What Role Should Industry Play in Military Space Operations? The Space Force is Working on a Strategy for That

(Defense One)  The U.S. Space Force is working on clearer guidelines for how it works with commercial companies—including during a potential conflict in space—and plans to have a new strategy by the end of the year. 

If It Does Get Passed, the Defense Authorization Bill Has Quite a Few Surprises

(Federal News Network)  Conference work on the National Defense Authorization Act for 2024 proceeds, even as nothing else in Congress seems to be working. As always, the NDAA has provisions affecting Defense contractors. But good intentions may not be matched by good legislation. 

New Rule Sets Stage for Banning Risky Technologies From Government Supply Chains

(Federal News Network)  Federal contractors will need to closely monitor a government acquisition website for directives that ban products and services due to security concerns, similar to the Huawei ban, under a new rule published this month and set to go into effect in early December.

7 Roadblocks to the Widespread Adoption of Autonomous Trucking

(Transport Topics)  We live in an era of drone deliveries and self-driving robotaxis, but is America ready to embrace autonomous trucks on the freeway? Automated vehicles could be a new stimulus to the overstretched supply chain, accelerating delivery times and improving working conditions for drivers. But, certain challenges must be overcome before autonomous trucking can reach widespread commercial implementation.

Air Travel is Back to Pre-Pandemic Levels, But New Turbulence Lies Ahead

(Portland Press Herald)  This week, global airline capacity is poised to finally surpass its corresponding 2019 levels, marking a major milestone in the recovery from the COVID-19 outbreak. The return to pre-pandemic flight capacity speaks to airlines’ resilience and ability to adapt to ever-shifting conditions—still, it’s become a tougher industry in many respects.

Navigating the Quantum Revolution in Logistics

(The Loadstar)  Logistics management has entered a new era, marked by the demand for rapid shipping, optimized value chains and real-time adaptability to supply chain disruptions. This flexibility isn’t a nice-to-have. Your organization must be flexible enough to adapt in. To embrace this new wave of logistics operations, your systems and technology must be ready to solve complex shipping challenges in a fraction of the time once required.

Fleets Turn to Military Veterans to Fill Technician Roles

(Transport Topics)  Investing in veterans to fulfill the much-needed job duties of commercial technicians has been a concentrated goal for some fleets. Like the driver shortage, which continues to plague the trucking industry, a lack of qualified diesel technicians is another unfortunate reality in part due to the retiring generation of baby boomers and a decline in trade school attendance.

ODU Supply Chain/Logistics School Approved by SCHEV

(Virginia Business)  Old Dominion University’s School of Supply Chain, Logistics, and Maritime Operations was approved Wednesday by the Virginia’s higher education council. The new school will offer graduate-level courses, convene a committee to develop a strategic plan for maritime and supply chain academic and research programming, create a structure for maritime and supply chain faculty in different departments to also work within the school, and develop and administer a seed fund to promote collaborative research. 

The Next Supply-Chain Challenge Isn’t a Shortage — It’s Inventory Glut

(Harvard Business Review)  Inventory challenges aren’t new. Measuring inventory momentum can help leaders address the problem. It’s a forward-looking metric based on the classic momentum equation: current inventory x rate of inventory change. Once leaders understand their inventory momentum, they can take actions to reduce excess inventory, stem the rate of inventory change, and prevent the situation from happening in the future.

Army Cancels 7,500 PCS Orders to Fix Funding Error as Shutdown Looms

(Army Times)  The Army has canceled thousands of previously approved permanent change-of-station orders for soldiers reporting to their new units after Nov. 1, according to personnel officials and an internal Army newsletter. The G-1 and Human Resources Command canceled the orders after recently realizing that commands had “lost track” of approximately 15,000 PCS orders approved in late 2022.

Where is FMCSA with New Regs on Speed Limiters, New-Entrant Exams, AEB?

(Heavy Duty Trucking)  A flub by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration now has some people in the trucking industry speculating that the agency is planning a 68-mph top speed for mandatory speed limiters. But the 68-mph speed limit is just one of the options being considered for the supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking that the agency plans to publish before the end of the year, according to the agency.

Opinion: How to Ensure the Defense-Industrial Base and Supply Chain Resiliency

(Defense News)  The U.S. Department of Defense needs to transform its industrial base management approach from reactively dealing with challenges as they arise toward a posture of consistent proactivity and management for resiliency.

How a New Generation of Merchant Marine Ships Can Chart a Course for Government Efficiency

(Roll Call)  Last week the State University of New York Maritime College received a historic delivery — a state-of-the-art new training ship christened Empire State. The arrival of this vessel, the first of five cutting-edge National Security Multi-Mission Vessels, heralds a new era not just for the U.S. Merchant Marine, but potentially for procurement processes across the government.

How to Address the Supply-Chain Staffing Crisis

(Harvard Business Review)  Our global supply chains are stressed and under pressure, not only because of material shortfalls and shipping delays, but also due to labor shortages in key sectors. Technology is now advanced enough to fill in many of the gaps resulting from skills shortages but cannot do it alone. Rebuilding distressed supply chains will require a combination of technology and human skills development strategies.

Transportation Subject to Multiple Threats by a Range of Actors, DHS Warns

(Homeland Security Today)  The 2024 threat assessment from the Department of Homeland Security says domestic and foreign adversaries likely will continue to threaten the integrity of U.S. critical infrastructure—including the transportation sector—over the next year, in part because they perceive targeting these sectors would have cascading impacts on U.S. industries and the American way of life. 

Hundreds of Flying Taxis to be Made in Ohio, Home of the Wright brothers and Astronaut Legends

(The Associated Press)  The same Ohio river valley where the Wright brothers pioneered human flight will soon be manufacturing cutting-edge electric planes that take off and land vertically, under an agreement announced Monday between the state and Joby Aviation Inc.

Junk Fee Crackdown in California Would Hit Hotels and Short-Term Rentals

(Skift)  California legislators have passed two bills that could impact how the state’s 6,000 hotels and thousands of short-term rentals inform consumers about so-called junk fees, such as resort fees and housekeeping fees. Many hotel companies and online travel agencies would likely seek uniform price displays across the U.S. for simplicity’s sake.

The US Navy is Spending Billions to Stabilize Vendors. Will It Work?

(Defense News)  The Navy says industry will have additional capacity to start increasing the size of the attack sub fleet by the early 2030s. To get there, the sea service anticipates spending $6.3 billion to bolster the submarine-industrial base — on top of the annual cost of buying and repairing submarines. But has the first tranche of investments yielded enough progress to warrant the Navy’s optimism?

Mom and Pops Are Taking Significant Share of Trucking Industry

(Freight Waves)  Trucking is among the most fragmented industries on the planet. Growing up, I was told that there would be massive consolidation in the trucking industry following deregulation in 1980. Instead, the opposite has happened.

Spotlight on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

• FAA Invests Another $121M to Reduce Chance of Close Calls at Airports
• FAA Investigating Thousands of Pilots for Failing to Report Health Issues
• FAA Seeks to Close Regulatory Charter Loophole
• Small Part of FAA Reauthorization Act Would Get Rid of Upfront Airfare Pricing Including Taxes, Fees

Faster Trains to Begin Carrying Passengers as Amtrak’s Monopoly Falls

(The Washington Post)  The only private operator of intercity passenger trains is about to launch new service in Florida. Next? Trains at 186 mph between Las Vegas and Southern California.

Geopolitical Tension with China Would Hit U.S. Critical Technology Sectors Hard, New Study Shows

(Defense One)  Many of the largest tech companies in the United States are so intertwined with China that they likely would not survive a massive geopolitical crisis between the two countries, research from data services company J.H. Whitney shows.

Improvements Made to Military-to-Maritime Program

(WorkBoat)  The Coast Guard says that improvements it has made to streamline the ability of those with military experience to land jobs in the maritime industry are starting to pay off.

Focus: US Airline Pilots Fight Their Unions to Increase Retirement Age

(Reuters)  Bo Ellis has been a devoted member of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) for nearly four decades, but the 64-year-old is waging a campaign against the union to extend his flying career. ALPA and other pilot unions oppose a bill in the U.S. Congress that seeks to raise the retirement age for commercial airline pilots to 67 from 65.

First Military Move Shipments Under New Private Management Set to Begin Next Month

(Military.com)  The company that will soon be responsible for all U.S. military troops’ worldly possessions during moves begins its phased takeover of the Defense Department’s household goods shipment operation in September.

FMCSA Highlights Truck Parking, Safety at NTDC

(Transport Topics)  According to the head of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, efforts to expand access to parking for the nation’s truck drivers remain a priority. USDOT has indicated that major freight corridors are ideal candidates for resources designed to increase parking capacity.

What’s Behind the Summer of Supply Chain Labor Unrest?

(Supply Chain Dive)  An extended stretch of labor unrest has sowed uncertainty throughout transportation modes, adding further incentive for shippers to firm up their supply chain contingency plans.

Air Force Deal Sets a Precedent Others Should Follow

(Defense One)  Taxpayers and troops alike should celebrate the Air Force’s new deal with Lockheed Martin and Boeing. By acquiring the technical data rights for two new helicopter programs, the service will be able to better maintain equipment at a much more reasonable cost. Its sister services should follow the Air Force’s lead.

DARPA to Explore Technology Needed for Moon-Based Economy

(Defense News)  The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is kicking off a seven-month study of the infrastructure and baseline technology needed to develop a moon-based economy within the next decade. The Efforts are focused on “fusing” various infrastructure sectors—transit and mobility, energy, and communications, among others—that have technological overlap into hubs that could be built up in the future, as economic activity on and around the moon increases.

FMCSA Will Consider Rollbacks to Truck Driver Rest-Break Rules

(Freight Waves)  Regulators will consider rolling back federal preemption decisions on truck driver work rules by issuing waivers to those who can show that stricter state rules in California and Washington are more safe.

Op-Ed: How Maritime Can Help the Defense Sector Be Sustainable

(MarineLog)  According to a study by the International Maritime Organization, global shipping fleet accounts for 2.5% of all global CO2 emissions, whilst defense accounts for 80% of the U.S. government’s emissions overall. With this in mind, the defense industry must work to reduce negative environmental impacts while also aiming to future-proof against climatic disasters. 

US May Put Armed Troops on Commercial Ships in Strait of Hormuz

(Military Times)  The U.S. military is considering putting armed personnel on commercial ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, in what would be an unheard of action aimed at stopping Iran from seizing and harassing civilian vessels, four American officials told The Associated Press.

US Air Force to Issue New Refueling Tanker Request in September

(Defense News)  The U.S. Air Force expects to release its formal request for information for a KC-135 tanker recapitalization in September, which will pave the way for an official acquisition strategy for the program it previously referred to as a “bridge tanker.”

Opinion: Hiding in Plain Sight: Warfare in the Electromagnetic Spectrum

(Military Times)  The reality of 2023 is that our connectivity to, dependence on, and risk because of the electromagnetic spectrum, or EMS, has never been greater. Because the Department of Defense will never have protected access to the EMS, U.S. adversaries such as Russia, China, and Iran have the capability to detect, restrict, or deny the EMS at the time and place of their choosing. 

New York Times: US Officials Search for Hidden Chinese Malware That Could Affect Military Operations

(CNN)  The New York Times reports US officials are searching for Chinese malware hidden in various defense systems that could disrupt military communications and resupply operations. The administration believes malicious computer code has been hidden inside “networks controlling power grids, communications systems and water supplies that feed military bases,” according to officials.

The Old Days of Defense Recruiting Are Gone. Here’s 6 Things Industry Can Do to Catch Up.

(Breaking Defense)  The defense industry has a reputation of being very traditional in how it approaches recruiting and talent management. But post-COVID, the workforce has changed. Here are six suggestions for how the industry itself needs to change to keep up.

1992’s Power Agencies: Where Are They Now? 

(Travel Weekly)  Thirty years ago, Travel Weekly published its first Top 50 Travel Agencies list, a precursor to the Power List. A look at the list today illustrates the changes the industry has gone through — and perhaps where it’s headed.

Spotlight on Maritime Threats:

• White House Says Russia is Preparing for Attacks on Civilian Ships in Black Sea
• US Sending Jets, Warship to Gulf to Protect Ships from Iranian Seizure
• Largest Japanese Port Suffered a Russian Ransomware Attack Halting Cargo Operations
• Report: Fuel Discrepancies Disabled Over 600 Ships Costing Supply Chain $5B

How the Defense Department Can Improve Surge Capacity in the Supply Chain

(Federal News Network)  In war, the only thing worse than getting there late is running out of ammunition. No one has infinite stockpiles. The drawdown in support of Ukraine has shown the need to boost the surge capacity of the defense industrial base. Now the George Mason University Center for Government Contracting has offered a list of ways to deal with the capacity deficit. 

Army Shift from Brigades Back to Divisions Raises Concerns Among Retired Generals

(Military.com)  Change is afoot in the Army: Divisions are returning to prominence. From recent reporting to rumors and offhand comments made during briefings, an image is beginning to emerge of the Army of the future. Bursting with enablers and officers, full general staffs, additional brigade and battalion headquarters with more staff, and funding, the divisional headquarters may soon replace brigade headquarters as a unit’s heart.

Pentagon Innovation Hub Wants to Field Commercial Tech at Scale

(Defense News)  The Defense Innovation Unit is about to enter its technology scaling era. Founded in 2015 to help create a bridge between Silicon Valley startups and the Pentagon, the organization’s early work has focused on building partnerships and proving the value of commercial technology for military needs. Now, according to DIU’s new director, Doug Beck, it’s time to make a deliberate shift toward fielding the most military-relevant commercial technologies at a large scale.

House Approves FAA Reauthorization Bill

(The Hill)  The House has overwhelmingly approved a bill to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for five years. Lawmakers in the Senate are considering their bill to reauthorize the FAA. Differences in legislation must be hashed out by the two chambers by Sept. 30, when the current FAA authorization terminates.

Can Cargo Be Delivered ‘To, From, and Through’ Space? DOD Wants Ideas Soon.

(Air & Space Forces Magazine)  Space is taking on more responsibilities for the U.S. military, from command and control to missile warning. Next on the agenda: cargo.

Pentagon Offers New Explanation for Why It Cancelled Huge Travel Modernization Project

(Federal News Network)  A month after the initial decision, a new explanation has emerged for the Pentagon’s sudden decision to cancel the $374 million program it’s been working on for the past several years to replace its much-maligned Defense Travel System (DTS).

California, Truck Manufacturers Strike Deal on Zero-Emission Plan

(The Hill)  California and some of the nation’s biggest truck manufacturers have reached an agreement aimed at smoothening the industry’s transition to 100 percent zero-emission sales by 2036.

CISA Finalizes Key Guidance for Agencies to Secure Cloud Services

(Federal News Network) The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is releasing finalized guidance for agencies today detailing how they can secure widely used cloud-based business applications and gain greater visibility into threats lurking on their networks.

The Truckers of Tomorrow

(Transport Topics)  In the years ahead, the essential task of hauling the nation’s freight and keeping the economy rolling will increasingly shift to a new generation of professional truck drivers. Fleet operators must find ways to recruit from a broader labor pool and meet the lifestyle preferences and work expectations of future drivers.

Panama Canal Delays Draft Restrictions but Lowers Number of Transits

(The Maritime Executive)  The Panama Canal Authority delayed the planned further draft restrictions for vessels making the transit that had been due to go into effect yesterday, June 25. They publicly cited expected rainfall while CNBC is reporting that they are also lowering the number of daily transits through the original locks to converse water.

Army Aims to Fix Storage Program that Sent Defective Humvees to Ukraine

(Defense One)  The Army is re-evaluating how it stores equipment abroad after the Defense Department’s inspector general found that an Army unit and a contractor sent Humvees with rotted tires to Ukraine. 

Opinion: Government is Wildly Unprepared How AI Can Be Abused By Criminals

(Fox News)  Sophisticated AI algorithms have the potential to commit large-scale fraud across multiple sectors. Trained on public or leaked data sets, they can predict the structure of sensitive information such as Social Security numbers, creating synthetic identities and generating fraudulent healthcare claims, defense contracts, tax returns, and aid applications.
In the Dark: How the Pentagon’s Limited Supplier Visibility Risks US National Security

(War on the Rocks)  While awareness in the Department of Defense is rising, the lack of visibility into defense supply chains makes easy targets for adversaries seeking to insert undetected risks into supply chains — silently biding time until they choose to exploit them. It is time for the Department of Defense to take bold steps to gain full visibility into defense supply chains to help mitigate the risk of acquiring U.S. equipment from foreign adversaries and/or shoddy suppliers.

The US Merchant Marine Is a National Security Necessity

(Fair Observer)  The US, once one of the world’s foremost shipping economies, has become almost entirely dependent on foreign firms to transport goods to and from its mainland. This is a vulnerability of which China is well aware. If the US does not overhaul its shipping system soon, it may be caught unprepared by a hostile naval power.

Commentary: Stop Spending Defense Production Act Money on Foreign Suppliers

(Defense News)  For the second year in a row, and just as the fiscal 2024 National Defense Authorization Act process peaks in Congress, the Biden administration’s Defense Department seeks executive branch authority to spend U.S. taxpayer Defense Production Act money with foreign suppliers, in addition to American ones.

Fewer Truck Drivers Looking to Switch Carriers

(Transport Topics)  The number of truck drivers looking to jump to a different carrier has been decreasing since last year, but that hasn’t stopped recruiters from pursuing them, according to a recent survey.

Top Cyber Threats Faced by the Aviation Industry

(Security Boulevard)  The aviation industry, like many others, is heavily reliant on digital technology. From flight operations and air traffic control to ticketing and customer service, virtually every aspect of aviation is interwoven with complex networks and systems. While this digital integration provides a host of advantages, it also makes the aviation industry a high-value target for cyber threats.

Vessel Buildup Grows at West Coast Ports as Maritime Supply Chain Begins to Break, Echoing Covid Chaos
(CNBC)  The number of vessels due to dock at the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach is increasing as labor slowdowns at West Coast port terminals have impacted supply chain operations, from trucks to rails and ocean carriers.

DoD Official Envisions Faster ‘Secure Pipeline’ to Help Small Business Tech Contractors Protect Information
(Breaking Defense)  The Defense Department is considering extending a “secure pipeline” to small businesses to help them protect the department’s controlled unclassified information (CUI) while also speeding up their software deliveries, according to an official in the DoD Chief Information Office (CIO).

How Can AI and IOT Transform the Logistics and Transportation Management Ecosystem?
(Global Trade)  In today’s rapidly evolving world, the logistics and transportation industry faces increasing demands for efficiency, reliability, and sustainability. To address these challenges, emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) have emerged as transformative forces, helping companies revolutionize operations and drive efficiency across the workflow.

Opinion: U.S. Navy Should Pursue Commercial Containerships
(The Maritime Executive)  The U.S. Navy should pursue commercial containerships and compatible containerized mission systems. These ships and systems will allow the U.S. Navy to rapidly field new technologies, expand the maritime industrial base, grow the ranks of experienced seafarers, and provide surge capacity in times of national need.

Security Standard Revisions Should Not Delay CMMC Prep Work
(Washington Technology)  Revisions are underway to the security guideline at the heart of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification and that process is another reminder that no company should wait until CMMC’s final release to comply.

Logistics Providers Work to Set Freight Scheduling Standards
(Transport Topics)  Freight transportation is a fragmented industry whose players should collaborate to overcome entrenched inefficiencies. That is the message from major logistics companies and technology providers that have joined forces to alleviate a particular pain point hampering the industry — the making, keeping and adjusting of freight appointments.

CERTS Tax Relief Bill is Reintroduced in Congress
(Bus & Motorcoach News)  The United Motorcoach Association is praising the reintroduction of the Coronavirus Economic Relief for Transportation Services (CERTS) Tax Exemption Act. This legislation addresses a key inequity between CERTS grants and other COVID-19 relief programs and will help the motorcoach industry continue its recovery.

Spotlight: Risk of a National Debt Default

• ‘Devastating’ Debt Default Threatens Troop Pay, Defense Programs
• Debt Breach Could Damage Defense Industry, Air Force Official Says
• Here’s What Could Happen to the Military If the US Defaults on Its Debt
• US Cities with Military Bases Rick Economic Damage in Debt Ceiling Fight
• A Default Isn’t a Shutdown, But Agencies Could Treat It That Way

Pentagon Outlines Upcoming Contractor Cybersecurity Plan
(Defense One)  By November, Pentagon cybersecurity leaders aim to lay out just how private contractors will be expected to work with government agencies to safeguard data and ward off attacks.

Cargo Preference Essential Element For Us Merchant Marine, National Security
(Seapower Magazine)  Recently, there have been renewed calls by some to do away with – or greatly diminish – the requirements that govern the sea transportation of cargo that is owned, procured, furnished, or financed by the US Government – better known as Cargo Preference. But a removal of the current 50% requirement would have immediate and devastating effect on the US flag fleet.

DLA Accelerates Move Away From COBOL Warehouse System
(Federal News Network)  For the Defense Logistics Agency, the handwriting was on the wall that it was time to move to a modern warehouse management system. DLA’s Karyn Runstrom, the acting chief information officer, said the agency is inching ever closer to turning off the legacy system.

On National Maritime Day, Leaders Highlight Need for More Mariners
(The Maritime Executive)  On National Maritime Day, America’s maritime leaders take a moment of pause to recognize the critical role that U.S. mariners play in commerce and national defense. In peace and war, American mariners deliver, and they will always remain at the heart of the industry.

After Ship Seizures, US Moves to Increase Patrols Off Iran
(Defense One)  The U.S. military is about to get busier in and around the Strait of Hormuz as officials attempt to send Tehran a signal to behave after Iranian forces seized two oil tankers.

DoD Needs More Commercially Available Goods to Speed Acquisition
(Federal News Network)  With shortages from production down through the supply chain, the Pentagon’s acquisition leadership wants to close the gap by purchasing more commercially available products. To make that work, contracting officers must overcome not just buying issues but budget and planning issues.

US Maritime Industry Working to Solve the People Puzzle
(Marine Link)  For companies active in all parts of the commercial maritime sector, finding and holding onto the workers they need to build, operate and service the industry’s wide range of vessels has been challenging. Simply put, the labor market is tight, and the problem is not getting any easier to solve.

California’s Container Ports to Develop Shared Data System
(Transport Topics)  California’s five container ports have agreed to develop a $27 million, high-tech supply chain infrastructure using a computer cloud to share data and cargo flow information to reduce delays and improve resiliency.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Using AI Resources in Fleet Operations, Including ChatGPT
(Commercial Carrier Journal)  Today’s highly sophisticated and evolving Artificial intelligence (AI)-driven tools and resources are creating new opportunities for organizations. However, the actual impact AI will have on transportation fleets in the areas of improved equipment asset management strategies, and operations such as maintenance and repair (M&R), remains to be seen.

Defense Industry Reports Improving Post-COVID Supply Chain
(Defense News)  More than three years after the COVID pandemic began to upend supply chains around the world, some defense executives say they are starting to see signs of recovery. But supply delays and shortfalls are still posing serious challenges to some major programs.

Use Allies in Shipyard Modernization
(U.S. Naval Institute)  The Navy’s inability to repair its capital ships and return them to the fleet is a clear danger to the nation’s tenuous grasp on naval superiority. It must do better and quickly, using even nontraditional methods to increase shipbuilding capability.

Pete Buttigieg Eyes Expansion of Supply Chain Data-Sharing
(Transport Topics)  The Freight Logistics Optimization Works — or FLOW — a voluntary forum through which freight sector stakeholders can share information on supply chain issues is poised to expand, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg recently told members of Congress.

FMC Commissioners Support Bill to Strengthen Antitrust Powers
(The Maritime Executive)  For the third time in less than a month, a bill has been introduced before the U.S. House of Representatives that targets the business practices of the shipping industry—this one called the Ocean Shipping Competition Enforcement Act.

Senate Passes Measure to Roll Back Truck Emissions Rule
(Roll Call)  The Senate narrowly passed a joint resolution that would roll back an EPA regulation setting stringent standards for smog-forming emissions from heavy-duty trucks. The Congressional Review Act joint resolution was driven by arguments that the Biden administration regulation would contribute to supply chain woes and inflation after the trucking industry warned it would significantly increase costs for big rigs.

Aerospace Industry Could Run Out of Engineers, Officials Warn
(Scripps Media)  The aerospace industry is booming, boasting rapid public and private growth that hasn’t been seen since the 1950s. Yet officials are sounding the alarm that the future workforce may not meet the demand.

Steps to Take Now for Defense Acquisition Reform
(Federal News Network)  Defense acquisition reform may seem like a topic that never changes, but a group of former Pentagon officials said they have solutions that will not only work, but work quickly. The Atlantic Council’s commission on defense innovation adoption released its interim report Wednesday with a list of 10 ways the Defense Department can immediately modernize acquisition.

3 Ways to Bolster Supply Chain Cybersecurity as Attacks Accelerate
(Supply Chain Dive)  Cyberattacks against supply chains are becoming more common and more sophisticated. A cybersecurity expert gives insight on what companies can do.

US Has Planes, Boats on Call for Emergencies, Why Not Satellites?
(C4ISRNet)  With the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) and its maritime equivalent — dubbed the National Defense Reserve Fleet — as models for how to take advantage of commercially-owned capacity in times of need, the Space Force is in the early phases of designing its own version, the Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve.

U.S. Maritime Industry Needs Better Business Case to Offer More Support to DoD, Says Panel
(USNI News)  The U.S. commercial maritime industry needs more business incentives to make changes that support the Defense Department’s requirements for sea lift, said a recent industry panel.

Building a New American Arsenal
(War on the Rocks)  The war in Ukraine has confirmed what was already widely known: America’s industrial base atrophied following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Despite efforts to reshore and bolster the manufacturing base, reaching the production capacity needed to replenish stockpiles and prepare for the possibility of full-scale conflict with China remains improbable.

3 Years or Less: Space Force’s ‘Simple Formula’ for Quicker Launches
(Defense One)  The U.S. Space Force wants to shorten contract timelines to three years or less from start to launch, so it can build a space architecture that “can be counted on” in conflict.

More Women Become Truckers as the Industry Tries to Overcome a Shortage of Drivers
(CNBC)  Though many women joined the industry during the pandemic, Covid-19 lockdowns stalled training and testing for truck drivers. Supply chain disruptions during the pandemic, along with surging demand, exacerbated a years-long trucker shortage. Now, with the industry facing a daunting driver shortage, initiatives to bring in women drivers from other industries have escalated.

DoD’s Office of Strategic Capital Open for Business
(Federal News Network)  After a year in development, the Defense Department’s Office of Strategic Capital (OSC) announced its plans to move into business partnerships, and it’s starting with the Small Business Administration (SBA).

SpaceX Mission May Herald Era of Low-Cost, Reliable Space Transport
(C4ISRNet)  The Pentagon’s interest in using space launch vehicles to quickly transport cargo and personnel around the globe has its origins in the space race of the 1950s, though technology, feasibility and cost constraints have kept the concept out of reach for decades. A SpaceX mission scheduled to launch in March could be a significant step toward changing that.

Incentivizing Driver Excellence
(Transport Topics)  To remain competitive in a persistently challenging labor market, trucking companies and fleet operators are exploring performance-based pay models to help boost driver retention and recruiting.

How Might ChatGPT Help Supply Chains?
(Supply Chain Digital)  ChatGPT has been one of the hottest trending topics of 2023, and has been because the world is intrigued, and a little unsure, about the role such technology will – and should – play in our work lives.

Perennial Pilot Paucity Puts Air Force in Precarious Position
(Air Force Times)  The Air Force’s pilot corps is shrinking. A web of factors that include commercial airline hiring, military flight instructor shortages, changes in the U.S. war footing abroad, and the Air Force’s shrinking fleet has entangled the service into a long-running pilot shortfall that makes the service more vulnerable in a potential crisis.

‘Major Technical Challenges’ Hinder Path to Responsible AI, NIST Official Says
(Defense One)  New artificial intelligence tools that can perform complex tasks and chat with humans have exposed the lack of federal guardrails around the advancing technologies. Short of comprehensive federal legislation, public and private entities have looked toward agencies like the National Institute of Standards and Technology—which recently released a new AI Risk Management Framework—for guidance on how to safely and effectively design and operate artificial intelligence.

Breaking the Cycle of Incremental Acquisition Reform
(War on the Rocks)  The U.S. military has wrestled with its dysfunctional acquisition system for decades. Despite dozens of attempts to reform a process in which weapon systems take too long and cost too much to develop and operate, little substantive progress has been achieved. Band-Aid fixes and incremental, whack-a-mole acquisition reform approaches no longer suffice in today’s environment, where both technologies and threats continue to advance at an accelerating pace.

FMCSA’s People Focus Is Helping Truck Drivers, Robin Hutcheson Says
(Transport Topics)  The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s top executive explained to hundreds at a trucking industry gathering that the agency’s focus to invest in people dovetails with its efforts to improve the workplace for drivers.

Space Force Offers Launch Pads to Companies as Commercial Demand Soars
(C4ISRNet)  The U.S. Space Force will allocate launch pads at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to four commercial launch companies as part of a broader effort to use excess range capacity to support the burgeoning market.

Air Force Wants Its Next-Gen Tanker Fling by 2040

(Inside Defense)  The Air Force is soliciting industry feedback on “innovative” technologies and capabilities for its planned tanker of the future, with an eye toward getting it into service by 2040.

Shipbuilding Industry Looks to 3D Printing to Accelerate Pace

(Defense News)  Instead of choosing between a schedule delay or the added expense when a missing component threatened a project’s progress, the shipbuilder and the Navy worked together to design, qualify, and 3D print the part in just four months, meeting their deadline. Though the circumstance was unusual, the Navy and its suppliers hope it will one day be the default instead of the dated casting procedure.

Supply Chain Lessons to Bring into 2023

(Supply Chain Brain)  Unprecedented pressure on supply chains has made resiliency and efficiency a key feature of CEO agendas this past year. Over the last 12 months, many companies have made changes to their supply networks to navigate and address the turbulence of these last two years. Now, companies need to both figure out the demand of the future and just how much resilience to build into their supply chains.

How The Trucking Industry Can Address Freight Rate Deflation

(Forbes)  Rarely is the truckload market at a steady equilibrium—it is almost always either a buyer’s or a seller’s market. Interestingly, this cycle doesn’t necessarily coincide with macroeconomic conditions. That means shippers, carriers, and brokers must each adjust their strategies in response to a complex, ever-changing market. By strengthening interpersonal relationships and improving collaboration, I believe the industry can remain nimble and thrive in inflationary and deflationary markets.

House Passes Bill to Improve FAA System That Grounded Flights
(The Hill)  The House has passed a bipartisan bill aimed at reviewing and recommending improvements to the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) NOTAM pilot alert system that recently went haywire. The NOTAM Improvement Act would create a task force under the FAA to offer solutions aimed at boosting the system’s stability and keeping it safe from cyber attacks.

Maritime Logistics Unplugged
(Splash247)  Maritime logistics has always been very much linked to one market segment, container shipping.  But in reality, it is much broader in scope than that—encompassing the sum of all logistics systems of shipping companies’ product-service supply chains.  This article takes a detailed look at how shipping companies are embracing logistics in their own individual ways.

Pentagon Launches Management Reform Institute to Address Challenges
(Defense News)  The U.S. Defense Department, a mammoth federal agency long criticized even from within as inefficient and overly complex, is embarking on a new step toward improving how it conducts its affairs. The department launched the Defense Management Institute, an independent research entity aimed at advancing the Pentagon’s management, organization, performance improvement, and enterprise business operations.

The Future of the $900-Billion U.S. Trucking Industry Could Be Decided in California
(Los Angeles Times)  As California regulators explore new rules to put self-driving semi-trucks on the road, labor unions are rushing to the state Legislature to ask for a new law they say will protect their jobs — the start of a debate that could shape the future of the nation’s nearly $900-billion trucking industry.

Is China About to Destroy Encryption as We Know It? Maybe
(Defense One)  A new research paper claims to offer a quantum-powered code-breaker of spectacular power. “If it’s true, it’s pretty disastrous,” says one expert.

EXCLUSIVE: Commerce’s Draft Space Traffic Management Service Goes Beyond DOD’s Baseline
(Breaking Defense)  A draft version of Commerce Department’s long-awaited plan for a free space traffic management service for commercial and civil space operators goes beyond the data and analysis currently provided by the Defense Department, including margins of error regarding satellite orbital paths and “more advanced” calculations of the probability of crashes.

Shipping Groups Back Bipartisan Trucking Overhaul Bill
(DC Velocity)  SHIP IT Act would bring more drivers into the sector by streamlining regulations, offering tax credits, expanding parking.

Tankers in the Pacific Fight: A Crisis in Capability
(Center for International Maritime Security)  The Department of Defense is projected to need on the order of one hundred tankers of various sizes in the event of a serious conflict in the Pacific. Not only does the U.S. lack the tonnage required to support a major conflict in the Pacific, it has no identifiable roadmap to obtain it.

Aviation Industry in Crosshairs for Next Biofuel Push
(Roll Call)  Sustainable aviation fuels, or SAF (pronounced “SAFF”), which are made from a range of plants and other organic matter, have proved successful as a replacement or additive for traditional, petroleum-based jet fuels. The Biden administration has thrown its support behind SAF, setting a goal for the U.S. to produce enough to meet 100 percent of jet fuel demand by 2050.

What to Watch 2023: America Must Begin Growing Its Merchant Marine
(Center for Maritime Strategy)  It’s incontrovertible that America would not have prevailed in WWII without its merchant marine. Despite this, today we find that our maritime logistics force is inadequate. In a high-end conflict, readily available American vessel capacity would only meet 65% of sealift needs and there is a shortage of at least 1,900 mariners.

Defensive Line: Interview with Brett Williams
(DC Velocity)  As former director of operations at the U.S. Cyber Command, Brett Williams knows what it takes to protect our vulnerable supply chains. Hear his advice on what companies can do to safeguard their data.

US Importers Shipping More to America’s East Coast Ports Than West Coast Amid Global Supply Chain Shifts
(South China Morning Post)  After moving record volumes of cargo during the pandemic, the port of LA last August lost its 22-year title as the busiest port in the US, vanquished by its east coast rival, the joint port of New York and New Jersey.

Truck Parking Is Top Issue for Drivers
(Transport Topics)  With 313,000 truck parking spaces existing nationwide, according to a recent survey conducted by the Federal Highway Administration, American Trucking Associations and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association estimate there is one parking spot for every 11 drivers. So, it’s no surprise that for the third year in a row, truck drivers have identified truck parking as the industry’s No. 1 issue.

EDITOR’S SPOTLIGHT
Goodbye 2022:

• The biggest military stories of 2022
• Top Logistics News Stories of 2022
• Here are the biggest supply chain stories of 2022
• Top Stories 2022: U.S. Navy Acquisition
• Most Read War on the Rocks Articles of 2022

Hello 2023:

• Why the U.S. economy will avoid a recession, but freight will slow in 2023
• Survey: top supply chain risk of 2023 is semiconductor shortage
• New in 2023: US troops in Europe to continue deployments, training
• Shippers Remain in Control of Rates, but 2023 Could Bring Balance

Roadblocks Cleared for $6.2 Billion Reform of Household Goods Moves
(Military Times)  Nearly four years after defense officials announced they had begun the process to consolidate all household goods moves under a single contract, the last roadblock has been cleared. The $6.2 billion contract aimed at improving household goods moves for service members has gotten the final green light.

The Military Is About to Launch a Constellation
(The Atlantic)  Sometime this coming March, a network of 10 small satellites winged with solar panels is scheduled to launch into Earth’s low orbit. Though likely invisible to the naked eye, the satellites will be part of a future herd of hundreds that, according to the Space Development Agency, or SDA, will bolster the United States’ defense capabilities.

How to Avoid the Next Crisis: A New Approach to Supply Chain Agility
(Supply Chain Quarterly)  To succeed in a dynamic business environment, companies need a structured approach to enhancing supply chain agility. They should start by identifying what digital tools, physical assets, and processes can help them avoid disruptions while capitalizing on opportunities.

‘Can We Actually Build It?’ Defense Industry Leaders Look Ahead to Uncertain 2023
(Defense One)  With Pentagon budgets headed for a new record, defense officials and industry executives wonder: Can contractors fulfill all the outstanding weapons orders?

Compromise NDAA Released with $857.9 Billion Topline
(Breaking Defense)  The House and Senate Armed Services Committees have released compromise language for the National Defense Authorization Act, with committee leadership agreeing to add $45 billion to the Biden administration’s initial budget request. The $857.9 billion topline is higher than either the HASC ($839 billion) or SASC ($847 billion) had sought in their initial versions. It includes $816.7 billion for the Pentagon and $30.3 billion for nuclear activities in the Department of Energy, authorizes a 4.6 percent pay raise for both military servicemembers and the Pentagon’s civilian workforce, while calling for increased spending for a number of key weapon systems.

Fake Parts: A Pentagon Supply Chain Problem Hiding in Plain Sight
(Defense News)  For about half the summer, 18 newly completed F-35 fighter jets sat outside Air Force Plant 4 while U.S. Defense Department officials tried to untangle the supply chain mess that had stuck them there. The high-profile incident spotlighted a quandary for Pentagon leaders, one the department has struggled to address and was warned about for more than a decade: how to keep counterfeit parts and other unauthorized material from sneaking into the department’s sprawling supply chain.

Rail Workers Warn of Exodus After Congress Forces Through Deal
(The Hill)  Last week the economy was almost upended by a nationwide strike before lawmakers intervened to enforce a deal many workers found lacking. Now there is fear that railroad workers could leave the industry after Congress forced through the contract that does not provide them any paid sick days, an exodus that would ripple through an economy reliant on freight railroads to transport goods.

Why the United States No Longer Leads on Free Trade
(War on the Rocks)  The Net Assessment podcast looks at America’s trade policy. Is free trade the economics of the past? If so, what is the economics of the future, and where does America stand in the new global order? Listen to hear about these topics and much more.

Threatened Coastal Railroad is San Diego’s Only Link to National Military Rail Network. What If It Shuts Down?
(The San Diego Union Tribune)  Coastal erosion in Del Mar and a slow-moving landslide in San Clemente threaten the only rail connection to Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton and Naval Base San Diego, the principal home of the Pacific Fleet. With these bases being the largest on the West Coast and a jumping-off point to the rest of the world, this is an issue of national security.

The 2022 Holiday Logistics Guide
(Logistics Viewpoints)  Halloween is in the rearview mirror and Black Friday is on the horizon. As such, retailers and logistics providers are gearing up for the annual holiday logistics crunch.

Opportunities Abound for Women in Trucking, Observers Say
(Transport Topics)  Trucking provides women with career opportunities that allow them to chart successful paths, but consideration must be given to challenges they face, experts said at an industry conference.

The Global Shipping Industry Is Facing a New Problem — Too Many Containers
(CNBC)  While there was a shortage of containers at the height of the Covid pandemic, the global economy is now facing the opposite problem: too many containers.

Pentagon Plans New Initiatives to Tackle Long-Term Sustainment Costs
(Federal News Network)  Sustainment expenses make up about 70% of the average weapons system’s total lifecycle cost. DoD leaders have fretted over that imbalance forever, and have long understood that decisions made early in a system’s design have a lot to do with its total ownership price. But the Pentagon has a couple of new strategies it hopes will address the problem.

DISA’s Plea to Industry: Bring Us Battlefield-Ready Tech
(Defense One)  The Pentagon’s lead IT agency wants to do more buying and less making. The agency “is relying on industry as a critical partner to deliver solutions,” said Don Means, who leads the Defense Information Systems Agency’s Operations and Infrastructure Center. “We don’t want to have to develop them when the industry is already doing them” because that means capabilities can be delivered faster.

Analysis: Airlines Reboot as COVID Sparks a Revolution in One-Day Business Trips
(Reuters)  Airlines around the world are ripping up schedules and bringing in new flights to cope with a COVID-triggered trend in corporate travel for executives like Jerome Harris – the scrapping of one-day business trips in favor of longer stays.

Are US Supply Chain Problems Over?
(The Hill)  Snarled supply chains that helped fuel red-hot inflation are slowly disentangling, offering hope for relief for cash-strapped consumers. But the U.S. faces geopolitical tensions, a shortage of truck drivers and a potential railroad strike that all endanger recent progress.

Small Shipyards Consolidate Amid Navy Program Delays
(Defense News)  Bollinger Shipyards this week said it will acquire shipyards VT Halter Marine and ST Engineering Halter Marine Offshore from parent company ST Engineering, a deal one expert said may have been spurred by the Navy’s slow pace in awarding the contracts expected to go to smaller shipyards.

Focus on Labor Issues:

• How to Bridge the Cyber Gap: Mentoring Strategies for the Next Generation
• Over 300 Business Groups Push Biden to Intervene in Possible Rail Strike That Could Cripple the U.S. Economy
• Labor Shortage Still Pinching Aerospace and Defense Sector
• ‘No Jobs Available’: The Feast or Famine Careers of America’s Port Drivers.
• For the Larger Navy US Needs, American Shipping and Shipbuilding Must Be Revived

Cyber Wars (Video)
(Full Measure)  If you think you’re worried about your passwords, online scams, or getting hacked, it may pale in comparison to the concerns of America’s businesses. By one estimate, malicious cyber activity costs the world a staggering $940 billion annually. And two countries in particular are behind the most damaging kind of attacks. Go online and inside the world of tech defense.

The National Defense Strategy Ducks Many Issues—Two Stand Out
(Forbes)  The Biden administration’s first National Defense Strategy highlights daunting challenges from China and Russia including missile and cyber-attacks. But it leaves aside or ignores many issues including two key ones: America’s inadequate industrial base and the failure of the executive and senior military leaders to get the public’s attention.

KC-46 Flies Without Co-Pilot as AMC Explores Limited Aircrew Operations
(Air & Space Forces Magazine)  A KC-46 tanker from McConnell Air Force Base, Kan., flew without a co-pilot Oct. 25, part of Air Mobility Command’s push to study limited aircrew operations. Two flights took place with just a pilot and a boom operator.

50,000 Companies on Hold Because of GSA’s UEI Validation Problems
(Federal News Network)  It’s now November, and the General Services Administration still hasn’t fixed the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) transition to the new validation service that began in April. And as many as 50,000 companies and grantees still are waiting to fix validation issues that is causing delays in awards and in getting paid.

Making Infrastructure Spending Really Smart for the Next 100 Years – The Geographic Approach
(Forbes)  When people talk about “smart infrastructure,” here’s what they’re talking about: Iowa’s roads in the winter. Iowa synthesizes data from a dozen different sources in a way that would have seemed like science fiction even a decade ago, providing a vivid, intuitive picture of what’s happening where. Innovative, useful, and now indispensable—it’s something much more. It’s exactly the kind of new tool we will need to adapt as the U.S. undertakes the most sweeping overhaul of its infrastructure in nearly seven decades.

Space Force to Seek Budget Boost Beyond 2023, China’s Capabilities are ‘Close to Ours’
(SpaceNews)  Gen. David “DT” Thompson, U.S. vice chief of space operations, said the Space Force is likely to see continued funding increases to counter China’s rapid advances in its space program.

Sustainable Aviation Fuel: Investing in the Future
(War on the Rocks)  Private industry and government have an opportunity to invest in another new kind of fuel to provide for the national defense: sustainable aviation fuel. There are challenges, but the opportunity for the United States is significant.

Fixing the U.S. Semiconductor Supply Chain
(Harvard Business Review)  The persistent global shortage of semiconductors has prompted governments and chip manufacturers around the world to take actions to expand production and prevent such shortages from occurring again. But in formulating their plans, they should include measures to ensure that future supply chains for computer chips are resilient.

Hackers Maintained Deep Access Inside Military Contractor’s Network, U.S. Officials Reveal
(CyberScoop)  U.S. cybersecurity, law enforcement, and intelligence officials revealed on Tuesday that sophisticated hackers infiltrated a likely U.S. military contractor and maintained “persistent, long-term” access to their system.

Proposed Legislation Could Expand Education Benefits, Veterans’ Access to Commercial Driver’s Licenses Amid Trucking Shortage
(Stars and Stripes)  Two senators have introduced a bill that would allow schools with trucking programs to expand veterans’ access to commercial driver’s licenses as the trucking industry faces a shortage of drivers across the country.

Defeat China’s Navy, Defeat China’s War Plan
(War on the Rocks)  The U.S. bomber force could be a mortal threat to China’s maritime power if U.S. policymakers and military planners begin to properly prioritize it. By making China’s maritime assets the main target for the U.S. bomber force, then arming it accordingly, Washington would be well positioned to win a counter-maritime campaign in the western Pacific.

The U.S. and Europe are Running Out of Weapons to Send to Ukraine
(CNBC)  In the U.S. weapons industry, the normal production level for artillery rounds for the 155 millimeter howitzer — a long-range heavy artillery weapon currently used on the battlefields of Ukraine — is about 30,000 rounds per year in peacetime. The Ukrainian soldiers fighting invading Russian forces go through that amount in roughly two weeks.

Defense Firms Sound Inflation Alarm as Congress Mulls 2023 Budget
(Defense News)  Trade groups representing defense companies large and small are pushing lawmakers to add tens of billions of dollars to the Pentagon’s budget to make up for months of high inflation that is only now starting to level off.

Manufacturing Supply Chains: Solving Workforce Challenges with Output-Based Staffing 
(Inbound Logistics)  Employers are hustling to fill enough positions to return to full output following COVID-19-related labor shortages, while employees can pick and choose between jobs competing to offer the best benefits and pay. Better wages and quality of life for workers is always a good thing, but companies looking to maintain production may need to look to a different solution: an output-based staffing model that lets companies increase their productivity even when they can’t increase their headcount.

White House Announces New Restrictions on Foreign Investment in US Tech, Supply Lines
(Defense One)  More foreign investments in U.S. companies will require federal approval under a new executive order intended to bar transactions that might allow potential adversaries control of crucial American supply chains or sensitive technology, the White House announced on Thursday.

Pentagon Eyes Commercial Solution to Supply Chain Problems
(C4ISRNet)  The U.S. Department of Defense is looking to commercially available software to help address supply chain disruptions, a growing concern as companies large and small deal with the continued fallout of pandemic-related parts availability issues.

Pentagon Planning New Guidance to Help Contractors Squeezed by Inflation
(Federal News Network)  The Defense Department is preparing new guidance that would give its contracting officers more flexibility to reimburse vendors whose costs have ballooned because of inflation, updating an earlier policy document that industry groups complained did too little to prevent contractors from bearing the full brunt of higher prices.

Sierra Northern Unveils Hydrogen-Powered Locomotive Design
(Progressive Railroading)  Sierra Northern Railway (SERA) yesterday unveiled a new design for a hydrogen-powered switching locomotive. The railroad is retiring an older Tier 0 diesel locomotive and replacing it with the more environmentally friendly design.

GSA, CISA turning to AI Tools, Standards to Help Secure Federal Supply Chains
(Federal News Network)  Agencies are finding out quickly that there is a lot more that goes into trusting the vendors that they work with than what’s on the outside. New tools are giving agency acquisition and cybersecurity workers something equivalent to an MRI scan of the companies.

Defense Industry to Launch Inflation Relief Push in Congress
(MilitaryTimes)  Defense industry associations are laying the groundwork for a lobbying blitz next week when Congress returns from its summer recess to seek relief for contractors from inflation.

Pentagon Vision for Synchronized Forces Hinges on Digital Engineering
(Defense News)  Digital transformation is occurring at most companies and organizations across the globe to ensure that the right complex data, products, and processes are delivered at the right place and the right time. Nowhere is this transformation more critical than in national defense.

Pentagon Expands Use of Seas to Send Weapons to Ukraine
(The Washington Post)  The Pentagon has expanded its use of maritime shipping to deliver weapons for the war in Ukraine, U.S. defense officials said, after relying heavily on aircraft early in Russia’s invasion to get arms to Kyiv as quickly as possible.

Canceled Sailings, Stuck Vessels, Warehouse Prices Show U.S. Ports are Still Struggling
(CNBC)  Ocean carriers continue to cite congestion at U.S. and Canadian ports as the reason for canceling sailings in September, and the congestion is not subsiding.

Expert Roundtable: How Shippers Should Prepare for the 2022 Peak Season
(Supply Chain Dive)  Five industry insiders weighed in on whether carriers will be able to deliver during the holidays, and what shippers can do to ensure success.

Spotlight on the Department of Transportation:

• Buttigieg Announces DOT Dashboard for Delayed, Canceled Flights
• FAA-Caused Flight Delays in New York Preview Potential ‘Crisis’ in Coming Years
• USDOT Announces $233 Million in State-of-Good-Repair-Funding
• ON THE HILL: Sit down with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (VIDEO)

Additional Defensive Weapons to be Shipped to Ukraine, Official Says
(DOD News)  A major presidential drawdown authority security assistance package is about to be unveiled, according to a senior Defense Department official. This PDA is valued at up to $775 million, the official said, noting that a $1 billion security assistance package was also just released on Aug. 8.

Breaking The Supply Bottleneck
(Defense Acquisition University)  After nearly two years of disruption, supply chains across the globe remain dramatically out of sync, with congestion at seaports marking the latest in a long list of problems. Ocean shipping, facilitated by ports, makes up the lion’s share of global trade, exacerbating the scale of this most recent issue.

Oil Companies Work Around Jones Act to Supply U.S. Fuel Markets
(Reuters)  U.S. oil companies are working around the Jones Act to supply fuel to the U.S. East Coast, according to data from Refinitiv and oil trading sources, as high demand for gasoline and global disruptions in fuel markets sent prices higher.

Russia’s Naval Doctrine May Call for Challenging the West, But Does It Have the Shipyards?
(Breaking Defense)  Russia’s new maritime doctrine signals its intent to challenge the United States and allies on the seas, but there is skepticism about the country’s ability to build a fleet capable of doing that given its limited options for shipyards and weakened supply chains.

Advanced Engine Industrial Base at Risk of ‘Collapse,’ Air Force Says
(Military Times)  As the U.S. Department of Defense approaches a decision on whether to upgrade or replace the F-35′s engine, Air Force officials are concerned that opting against a full replacement could lead to the “collapse” of the advanced propulsion industrial base in the U.S.

The U.S. Supply Chain is Now Facing Two Trade Hurdles
(CNBC)  Two of the major trade lanes for U.S. shippers are under strain this peak season. The heatwave in China has shut down key manufacturing and the growing backlog of European imports is expected to spill over into the first quarter of 2023.

First Look: Freight Rail Shipping Fair Market Act
(Railway Age)   Legislation to reauthorize the Surface Transportation Board (STB) and “create a fair marketplace” for railroads and shippers was recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. While the Association of American Railroads (AAR) called it an “untenable bill that could further exacerbate current supply chain and service challenges,” the American Chemistry Council (ACC) welcomed the “sensible legislative package.”

Creating Resilient Supply Chains Requires a ‘Security’ Mindset
(Smerconish)  It is no longer sufficient to design supply chains that are timely and cost-effective. As we learned over the past two years, resilience is paramount and making supply chains resilient demands a new management paradigm.

HIMARS’ Hidden Superpower and Other Acquisition Lessons from Ukraine
(Defense One)  With no U.S. troops on the ground, acquisition professionals are the operators making the difference.

Pentagon Advisers Want DoD to Build Out Agreements Between Small and Large Defense Businesses
(Federal News Network)  For the past thirty years, Congress has continued to renew the Defense Department’s Mentor-Protégé Program — but only as a pilot. Now, after an in-depth look from outside business experts, the Defense Business Board is recommending Congress make the program permanent once DoD makes a few tweaks.

After Years of Inattention, Congress Scrambles to Save Defense Supply Chain
(Defense News)  When Ukrainian fighters in May surrendered Mauripol’s sprawling steel plant to Russian forces after a months-long siege, the consequences were widespread. Russia effectively knocked out a plant central to Ukraine’s position as a powerhouse in global neon gas exports. These exports are key to manufacturing the very weapons the United States is sending to Kyiv to defend against Moscow’s invasion.

Flying Car Could Be Weeks Away from Takeoff
(The Hill)  The Switchblade, an aircraft that doubles as a car, could be just weeks away from getting its wheels off the ground after a recent Federal Aviation Administration inspection determined it’s safe to fly.

CMMC Set for Trial Run, But Criticism Abounds for Highly Anticipated ‘CAP’ Document
(Federal News Network)  The Pentagon’s contractor cybersecurity certification program took a major step forward this week with confirmation that voluntary third-party assessments will kick off next month, while at the same time a newly released process document is causing consternation in industry.

MARAD Awards $20M in Grants to Small Shipyards for Modernization
(The Maritime Executive)  The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration has selected the 2022 recipients for MARAD’s annual Small Shipyard Grant Program designed to support smaller American shipyards.

At UK Airshow, Defense Execs Warn of Inflation, Supply Chains, and Worker Shortages 
(Defense One)  Along the flight line during the Farnborough Airshow, executives focused on how the pandemic is still very much affecting the aerospace and defense industry. Worker shortages, record inflation, and a broken global supply chain dominated the discussions among large firms, smaller suppliers, and government leaders.

$755 Million Truck Parking Bill Advances in House
(Freight Waves)  Legislation aimed at expanding truck parking facilities throughout the U.S. has been approved by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and will advance to the House floor. The Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act provides $755 million in competitive grants over four years (2023-2026) to expand truck parking capacity.

How a Military Base in Illinois Helps Keep Weapons Flowing to Ukraine
(The Baltimore Sun)  Since the war in Ukraine began four months ago, the Biden administration has contributed billions of dollars in military aid to the Ukrainian government. How they reach Ukraine often involves behind-the-scenes coordination by teams at a military base in Illinois, about 25 miles east of St. Louis.

Simple Cyber Reporting Will Enable Better Governmentwide Response, Lawmaker Argues
(NextGov)  U.S. government digital systems and infrastructure can adjust to a changing cyber threat landscape with a centralized incident reporting structure to incentivize incident reporting.

How The Supply Chain Crisis Is Changing Domestic Manufacturing Strategies
(Forbes)  For U.S.-based firms, there’s a confluence of factors—from geopolitical issues to high shipping costs—driving the supply chain crisis. This crisis is pushing many U.S. providers to rethink their manufacturing processes and how they forecast and manage logistics.

The Battle That Will Determine the Future of American Passenger Rail
(The Washington Post)  Amtrak has money to expand, but it doesn’t own the railroad tracks. A stalled effort along the Gulf Coast is a test of its ability to grow.

California Throws 70,000 Truckers in Gig-Work Legal Limbo, Risking Supply Chains
(Bloomberg)  About 70,000 truck owner-operators who form the bedrock of California’s transport industry are in limbo as state-level labor rules start applying to them, creating another choke point in stressed US supply chains.

Pentagon ‘Endorses’ Reciprocity for CMMC, FedRAMP Requirements
(Federal News Network)  The Pentagon’s internal cybersecurity auditors are already giving companies credit for using services provided under the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program, but the Defense Department still needs to iron out similar reciprocity details with the Cyber Accreditation Body.

Everything’s Backordered: Supply Chain Delays Hinder Hotel Openings
(The Points Guy)  Nothing in travel seems to run on schedule these days. Flights are delayed (and often canceled). Highways are congested. Cruise ship debuts are repeatedly stalled. Even hotel openings are getting pushed back in light of – what else? — supply chain disruptions.

Flight Cancellations Loom Large Over Summer Travel Season
(The Hill)  Airlines endured a better-than-expected Fourth of July holiday weekend, but staffing shortages and other root causes of flight disruptions continue to loom large over the busy summer travel season.

Beyond the Gulf: Broadening U.S. Maritime Security Ops in the Mideast
(The Maritime Executive)  Despite rumors to the contrary, the United States is not interested in disengaging from the Middle East. The Indo-Pacific is the new focal point of U.S. foreign policy, but the Middle East remains essential for U.S. interests.

CMMC Early Adopter Program to Further Spur Vendor Cyber Actions
(Federal News Network)  The Defense Department has been talking about the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) standards for more than three years. And while the final version 2.0 standards aren’t going to be ready until next summer, the impact of just talking about improving cybersecurity among contractors is real.

From Missiles to Baby Formula, Airlines Provide Vital Airlift for US Government
(American Shipper)  The Biden administration’s emergency airlift to expedite imports of overseas baby formula amid a widespread domestic shortage is the latest example of the U.S. government employing commercial cargo and passenger airlines to help solve a logistics crisis.

Navy’s Data-Driven Approach to Sustainment Finds Huge Room for Improvement in Ship Maintenance
(Federal News Network)  The Navy is taking several steps to shorten the time it takes to get its vessels in and out of maintenance at its shipyards, including a huge, multiyear, and multibillion-dollar program to modernize the yards’ outdated infrastructure.

Starship Troopers: Pentagon Wants Rocket-Launched Soldiers Anywhere on Earth in Hours
(Task & Purpose)  The DoD and SpaceX are teaming up to send huge payloads of troops and gear anywhere on earth in an hour. Would you like to know more?

The Bay of Bengal Could Be the Key to a Free and Open Indo-Pacific
(War on the Rocks)  To maintain the status quo in the Indo-Pacific region and keep China’s assertiveness in check, the United States, Japan, and Australia, among others, have advanced the idea of a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific.” Within the Indo-Pacific theater, the Bay of Bengal — situated at the intersection between South and Southeast Asia — is a divider, a connector, and one of the prime battlegrounds.

How Much Does Bad Software Cost DOD? Lawmakers Want to Know
(Defense One)  House lawmakers are looking for more oversight of the Defense Department’s cyber, network, and information technology efforts through a series of reviews that range from evaluating underperforming software to auditing the military’s Joint All Domain Command and Control program, according to proposed language for the upcoming 2023 National Defense Authorization Act.

Career Shift: As Supply Chain Issues Pile Up, More College Students See Potential Jobs
(Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)  A career option sometimes overlooked in college has become as obvious these days as empty grocery store shelves, a months-long wait for a new laptop, or a campus dining hall where nobody has forks.

Russia is “Weaponizing” Supply Chains for Leverage in Negotiations
(The Maritime Executive)  Unfortunately, the hefty price of Russia’s war against Ukraine is being borne by the rest of the world. An economic outlook released this week by OECD maps out the war’s tremendous damage to global supply chains.

Sweeping Transformation of FMCSA’s IT Systems Underway
(Transport Topics)  For the past two years, Pavan Pidugu, chief technology officer for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, has quietly been working behind the scenes to conduct a sweeping transformation of many of the agency’s admittedly decades-old technology systems. Pidugu said his goal is to revamp all of FMCSA’s so-called legacy systems by 2028.

Making the Military Transition into a Logistics Job
(ClearanceJobs) Logistics companies perform better when they have military veterans in supply chain positions. Transportation companies continue to gobble up military truck drivers, maintainers, and supply guys. Other companies with a secondary logistics mission are learning this as well, which is great news if you’re transitioning out of the military with a background in logistics.

Airline Officials Press Biden to End COVID-19 Testing for International Travelers
(The Hill)  Airline industry officials and lawmakers are pressing the Biden administration to drop pre-departure COVID-19 testing requirements for vaccinated international travelers, arguing the mandate is costing the sector billions of dollars in revenue each month.

Supply Chain Strategy Collides with Logistical Reality
(The Street)  The nature of globalization is changing. Supply chains are challenged – from tariffs to the pandemic, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The strategy recommendation is resiliency through diversification. The logistics are incredibly complex. Here is a look at some of the top factors driving this change.

US Military May Need Innovation Overhaul to Fight Future Wars, Milley Says
(Defense News)  The U.S. military may need to reorganize to fight future wars, which will be profoundly changed by artificial intelligence, robotics, and other advanced technologies, according to Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The DoD’s Cyber Force Must Partner with Industry to Compete at the Speed of Relevance
(Military Times)  During an April 5 posture hearing into the work, the challenges, and the future of U.S. Cyber Command, one of the consistent themes that emerged centered around manpower and how tomorrow’s cyber force will be built and maintained. Gen. Paul M. Nakasone, the head of the command, acknowledged those challenges and said one of his top five priorities is recruiting, retention and training.

DoD Tells Industry How It Will Handle Cost of Inflation
(Federal News Network)  As the nation is still in the midst of decades-high inflation, the Defense Department is advising its industry partners on who will be shouldering the burden of increased costs in existing contracts.

U.S. Transportation Command Kicks Off Operation Fly Formula
(US Transportation Command)  A C-17 Globemaster III military transport aircraft was loaded with 78,000 pounds of cargo at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, kicking off a special mission for USTRANSCOM—Operation Fly Formula.

Making a Military Move This Summer? Roadblocks Continue.
(Military.com)  The military moving season will soon shift into high gear, and there’s even more reason for service members and families to be organized and flexible if they’re heading to a new duty station this year.

A Severe Pilot Shortage in the U.S. Leaves Airlines Scrambling for Solutions
(CNBC)  The United States is facing its worst pilot shortage in recent memory, forcing airlines to cut flights just as travelers are returning after more than two years of the Covid-19 pandemic. The crisis has the industry scrambling for solutions.

The Supply Chain’s Little-Known Weakest Link: Railroad Workers
(Politico)  In the scramble to bring prices back down, one obstacle is slowly garnering more attention: a decimated railroad workforce, which agency officials say is impeding efforts to transport goods and, in doing so, further hobbling an already-delicate supply chain.

Defense Logistics Agency has ‘Secret Sauce’ for Deploying Software Bots
(FedScoop)  Roughly three years into their journey deploying software-based bots — including many that are unattended — Defense Logistics Agency officials are observing big impacts they never predicted early on.

What is the Government’s Role in Stabilizing Supply Chains?
(The Maritime Executive)  For the past two years, supply chains have drastically evolved from a fringe topic into a part of the everyday political discourse. Given that the frequency and magnitude of supply chain disruptions is poised to increase, especially from climate-related events, what should be the response from private sector and government?

Should the Freight Rail Industry Be Overhauled?
(Freight Waves)  Service disruptions at the Class I railroads have come to a head in recent weeks, and shippers and the unions representing rail workers are clamoring for changes to the freight rail industry of a magnitude to match the disruptions.

Too Fragile to Fight: Could the US Military Withstand a War of Attrition?
(War on the Rocks)  It has been a long time since the United States fought a high-intensity war of attrition, and the Pentagon, despite its renewed focus on large-scale combat operations, is not ready for it. Current war plans still imagine relatively quick military actions with low casualties that remain within current capabilities. The resources for a longer and more brutal conflict have atrophied or been forgotten.

Pentagon Finds Hundreds of Cyber Vulnerabilities Among Contractors
(C4ISRNet)  A U.S. Defense Department pilot program designed to root out digital vulnerabilities among contractors identified hundreds of flaws over the course of one year, organizers said.

Bank of America Sounding the Alarm on Collapsing Freight Demand
(Freight Waves)  Trucking demand is “near freight recession levels,” according to Bank of America. Shippers’ outlook on rates, capacity, and inventory levels are matching attitudes not seen since May and June 2020, when pandemic lockdowns sent freight volumes into a historic decline.

Defense Industrial Base Faces Short and Long Term Challenges
(Federal News Network)  The defense industrial base faces a lot of long-term challenges, many of which have been well documented in studies generated both inside and outside the government. But here and now concerns like inflation and the war in Ukraine have introduced a lot of new ones, ones that need to be dealt with this fiscal year.

The Real Reason Supply Chains Are Disrupted
(Supply & Demand Chain Executive)  It seems every industry and buying segment is experiencing its own sort of supply chain disruption. One easy culprit might be port congestion, but the reality is that port congestion is one tiny piece of the overall puzzle.

Pentagon Reorganizes Industrial Policy Office to Shore Up Defense Firms, Supply Chain
(Defense One)  The Pentagon has restructured its industrial policy office, a move that elevates oversight of the defense industry at a time of widespread supply chain troubles in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

NAVSUP Can Teach a Thing or Two About Small Business Defense Procurements
(Federal News Network)  The Naval Supply Systems Command keeps machinery and people equipped and ready to go, along with some award-winning programs for ensuring small business participation in its procurements.

Global Supply Chain Crisis Flares Up Where It All Began
(Supply Chain Brain)  China’s stringent rules to curb COVID-19 are about to unleash another wave of summer chaos on supply chains between Asia, the U.S., and Europe. Even if the virus is reined in, the disruptions will ripple globally — and extend through the year — as bunched-up cargo vessels start sailing again.

NIST is Asking Industry for Comments on the Next Cybersecurity Framework
(Federal News Network)  A call for comments from the National Institute for Standards and Technology gives industry a deadline of next week. NIST is looking for reactions to ideas for critical infrastructure cybersecurity, and it could have a big impact on companies doing business with the government.

Shanghai Tries to Ease Supply Chain Crunch Amid Lockdown
(American Shipper)  Chinese officials on Monday issued new guidelines to normalize industrial production and logistics flows, part of an effort to minimize the impact of strict lockdown measures in Shanghai. Under rules endorsed by the central government, localities will self-select specific companies in critical industries that can restart operations.

Fifth MARAD Training Vessel Construction Confirmed for Philly Shipyard
(The Maritime Executive)  Construction of the fifth training ship under the National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV) program has been confirmed according to Philly Shipyard. The Philadelphia-based shipyard reported that it received confirmation of the contract from Tote Services, which is the contractor overseeing the program for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration.

American Airlines Restarts Philadelphia Regional Routes with Landline Buses
(Airline Weekly)  American Airlines is the latest carrier to contract Landline for connecting “flights” operated with buses. The move comes as U.S. airlines face the concurrent challenges from a pilot shortage primarily hitting regional operators and elevated fuel prices that together have forced many airlines to fly less than they would prefer.

Retailers Expect Summer Import Wave to Arrive at U.S. Ports
(The Maritime Executive)  After a leveling off of import volumes early in 2022, retailers are expected to spur a new wave of growth for container volumes at the major U.S. ports that will extend through the summer months. There are fears that the new wave, compounded by an influx expected after the current shutdowns in China and coming just as U.S. West Coast ports face the expiration of labor contracts for their dockworkers, could lead to renewed congestion forming at the major ports.

Rails and Regulators Battle Publicly Over Service Issues
(Freight Waves)  The spring meeting of the North East Association of Rail Shippers (NEARS) saw three Class I railroads describing to rail shippers and other stakeholders how they are working to improve rail service.

The Rental Car ‘Apocalypse’ Isn’t Over. Here’s What to Know Before Booking.
(The Washington Post)  The “rental car apocalypse” dawned a little more than a year ago as vaccinated travelers started to venture back into the world only to find fewer vehicles and hiked-up prices. Experts say the scenario is slightly less doom and gloom now—but also far from the pre-pandemic norm.

By the Numbers: Biden’s Budget Priorities for Supply Chains
(Supply Chain Dive)  The President’s $5.8 trillion fiscal 2023 budget includes more money for port infrastructure and building capacity in solar energy supply chains. The budget recommends spending beyond the bipartisan infrastructure law and a $142 billion budget for the Department of Transportation.

European Logistics: From One Crisis to the Next
(Logistics Management)  The transport and logistics industry in Europe started into the new year with high expectations. While several issues the Russian attack on Ukraine dwarfs all other problems, as it has immediate consequences not only for Europe, but also threatens our global security and our global supply chains.

Could There be a Role for Wing-in-Ground Craft in Naval Warfare?
(The Maritime Executive)  A wing-in-ground maritime attack craft (WMAC) would present an opportunity to field a cost-effective, survivable asset that can punch above its weight and cost. Such a platform would assist the United States naval battlegroups in attriting adversarial surface platforms and shore-based area denial systems to pursue maritime superiority in a contested environment.

Crafting a Humanitarian Surge to Respond to the War on Ukraine
(Homeland Security Today)  Hospitals and health care facilities are sustaining damage as part of Russia‘s bombing. Clearly the humanitarian imperative seeks to end these attacks without escalating the conflict. Toward that end, I propose a humanitarian demonstration of resolve.

The Plan to Fix Troops’ Household Goods Moves Hits Another Roadblock
(Military Times)  Connected Global Solutions, an unsuccessful bidder for the $6.2 billion worldwide household goods moving contract, has filed a protest in federal court, again delaying Defense Department efforts to fix many of the long-standing problems plaguing service members who must change stations.

The Five ‘Dragons’ To Watch Out For In The New Supply Chain Environment
(Forbes)  As we head toward the end of Q1 of 2022, there’s still significant opportunity for course correction and even transformation in the supply chain. Here are the five supply chain “dragons” that every brand must conquer in order to remain competitive in a rapidly changing world.

FMCSA Drops Two CDL Streamlining Proposals
(Transport Topics)  Federal trucking regulators have withdrawn two proposals intended to streamline credentialing and testing processes for aspiring truck drivers to obtain their commercial driver licenses.

The War in Ukraine:

• Russia-Ukraine Crisis to Reshape Supply Chains, Flatten World Trade
• 2 Tankers Fill Up with Russian Oil After 45-Day US Countdown Begins
• Hundreds of Planes Are Stranded in Russia. They May Never Be Recovered
• What a Russia-Ukraine Peace Deal Might Look Like
• How Russia’s War in Ukraine Will Accelerate U.S.-China Competition
• The Pentagon is Saying Diddly Squat About What Thousands of Extra US Troops are Doing in Europe
• Russian Logistics Are So Bad, Its Military is Begging China for MREs

2023 Budget Drops on March 28, But Details Will Be Missing
(Breaking Defense)  President Joe Biden’s fiscal 2023 budget will hit the streets on March 28, and it’s looking to be a record-breaking year for defense spending. Despite the good news for the defense industry in terms of funding, the five-year trajectory of defense spending could be unclear for weeks after the budget’s release.

Navy’s Next 30-Year Shipbuilding Plan Could Avoid Details–Again
(Defense One)  The Navy’s next 30-year shipbuilding plan expected to be submitted with the fiscal 2023 budget request could again be short on details, despite negative reactions when they did the same thing last year.

Some States Want to Give Drivers a Gas Tax Holiday. But that Might Not Be a Wise Move.
(CNN)  As Americans reel from skyrocketing gasoline prices, a growing number of states are looking to provide residents with a little relief by suspending their gas taxes. But suspending the state gas tax actually may not do much to help drivers, and it could hurt state budgets and delay road improvements.

Disease Outbreak and National Security: Drawing Lessons from the COVID-19 Crisis to Improve Emergency Response
(Texas National Security Review)  COVID-19 has highlighted the need to think about treating disaster response, in particular to disease outbreaks, as a national security challenge and has thrown a spotlight on the gaps in the statutory framework that authorizes emergency and disaster response.

Hydrogen Fuel Could Change the Way Aircraft Work, and Look
(Popular Science)  A transition to hydrogen would mean rethinking a great deal about aircraft design. A futuristic Airbus test will help experts learn more.

How Travel is Being Impacted by the Ukraine Invasion
(CNN)  Ukraine’s airspace is closed, as is the airspace of the country’s neighbor Moldova and part of Belarus. A growing list of countries have closed their airspace to Russian aircraft and in return Russia closed its airspace to 36 countries. Meanwhile, the US government’s Federal Aviation Administration told US pilots to avoid “the entire country of Ukraine, the entire country of Belarus and a western portion of Russia.” The conflict could redraw the world air map.

A Top Candidate for FAA Administrator Job on Aviation Challenges Ahead
(Skift)  A top candidate for Federal Aviation Administrator says his deep involvement in investigating Colgan Air Flight 3407 makes clear his longstanding commitment to aviation safety. “The safety focus has been paramount to me,” John Boccieri, a United pilot, vice commander of the Pittsburgh Air Force base, and a former U.S. Congressman, told Skift in his first interview since his name surfaced as a potential candidate to be the U.S.’s next chief aviation regulator.

A New California Law Could Make Your Next Car Rental More Expensive
(The New York Times)  For more than 30 years, California had prohibited rental car companies from charging for additional drivers. Not anymore.

Tire Shortage Forces Operators to Find Creative Ways to Keep Buses Rolling
(Bus & Motorcoach News)  As motorcoach operators gradually pull away from the pandemic-caused economic roadblock, they still face a potential speed bump caused by the prolonged shortage of a crucial component – tires. The tire shortage has forced operators to find creative ways of making sure they have enough supply to keep their buses rolling as the industry recovers and travel demand rises.

As Travel Rebounds, Airlines Offer Perks Like a $10,000 Signing Bonus to Draw New Employees
(Chicago Tribune)  Airlines are racing to hire workers as they anticipate more travelers returning to the skies, and some are offering incentives to try to draw new employees. In Chicago alone, United Airlines is offering a $10,000 signing bonus to new part-time ramp agents, baggage handlers, belt and cargo loaders and other positions. Southwest Airlines will increase starting pay for some Chicago roles to $18 an hour beginning March 1.

The Rise of ‘Bleisure’ Trips: How Post-Pandemic Business Travel Will Change
(Computer World)  Business travel revenue is expected to return to normal by the end of 2024. But how workers participate in face-to-face meetings, how long they stay, and what new amenities they’ll get will be very different.

Extended Stay Hotels Play the Long Game
(NBC News)  As travel picks up and the phenomenon of remote work continues to blur the lines between business and leisure, extended-stay hotels are having a moment.

Rising Oil Prices Are Set to Force Airlines to Raise Fares
(Forbes)  The No. 1 threat to the airline industry’s recovery appears to have switched from Covid worries to rising oil prices, exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Experts say airfares are likely to rise — but perhaps with some restraint by the carriers.

How Will Self-Driving Cars Change the Hospitality Industry?
(Analytics Insight)  Self-driving automobiles (or autonomous vehicles) are becoming as competent as, if not better than, human drivers. And firms such as Google, Tesla, and Uber are pushing the boundaries of innovation in order to dominate the field. And, there are several ways self-driving cars will impact the hospitality business in the future.

The Problems with the Defense-Industrial Base Aren’t About the Contractors
(Defense News)  The report released by the Pentagon this week, titled the “State of Competition within the Defense Industrial Base,” tackles a serious subject that Defense News readers know is vital to national security. However, the report misses an important step by failing to articulate clearly the problems its recommendations are trying to fix.

Is Our Space Partnership with Russia Immune from Earthly Conflicts?
(The Hill)  The International Space Station (ISS) partnership has been a rare bright spot in our relationship with Russia for more than 20 years. Will this cooperation last indefinitely? Is our space partnership immune from Earthly concerns?

Trucking Trends: Why the 3G Sunset Matters to Supply Chains
(Cargo Business News)  U.S. cellular providers have started to sunset their 3G networks, beginning with AT&T on Feb. 22. The term “sunset” indicates there’s daylight remaining but in this case, it means a large portion of the trucking industry may be in the dark when it comes to ELD network connectivity.

More Companies May Have to Get a CMMC Assessment After All
(Federal News Network)  The Pentagon’s revamped Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program is moving forward under the Defense Department chief information officer, but DoD is rolling back an aspect of the plan that would have allowed some 40,000 companies to self-attest to their cybersecurity practices.

Data-Driven Asset Management Can Transform Ports Into Smart Ports
(The Maritime Executive)  Port and terminal operators are experiencing growing complexity in the form of rapidly accelerating throughput demands. Experience has shown that port operation optimization can increase throughput by 10-20 percent using a data-driven asset management approach to provide substantial return in all of these operational areas through a coordinated approach.

USAF Should Take Advantage of Secondhand Parts Market, Pentagon Nominee Says
(Air Force Magazine)  As the Air Force looks to boost its aging aircraft’s mission capable rates and to control sustainment costs, the Defense Department should encourage the service to take full advantage of the secondhand market for parts, the nominee to lead the Pentagon’s sustainment enterprise told Congress on Feb. 15.

The $76 Billion Cost of a Yearlong Continuing Resolution
(Defense One)  Unless Congress acts soon, the Defense Department will operate for the rest of the year under a “continuing resolution,” which handcuffs this year’s funding to last year’s priorities. This would be deeply misguided at a moment when the world is as dangerous as it’s been in decades. 

US Navy Eyes 3D Printing for Submarine Parts to Ease Burden on Strained Industrial Base
(Defense News)  Among the top risks to the critical Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine program is fragility in key parts of the industrial base. Additive manufacturing, better known as 3D printing, could fix that.

CMMC Program Moved to the Office of DOD Chief Information Officer
(FedScoop)  The Department of Defense’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program has been moved to the office of the chief information officer, according to a memo signed by the deputy secretary of defense.

Ocean Shipping Reform Act to Strength FMC Reaches U.S. Senate
(The Maritime Executive)  The U.S. Senate is set to take up reform of the federal regulations for the global shipping industry focusing on the challenges that American exporters have been experiencing due to port congestion and disruptions in the global supply chain.

FAA, Wireless Companies Agree on Steps to Deploy 5G Towers Near Airports
(The Hill)  The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced that it worked out a solution with Verizon and AT&T to deploy additional 5G C-Band towers near airports without disrupting flights.

FAR & Beyond: Addressing the Impact of Inflation on Government Contracts
(The Coalition for Government Procurement)  Supply chain challenges and inflation are having a negative impact on businesses across the economy.  The federal procurement system, a subset of that economy, is not immune to these impacts.

Supply Chain Analytics: 5 Tips for Smoother Logistics
(CIO)  Organizations are increasingly turning to data analytics to navigate supply chain disruptions and to enhance their SCM efforts. Here’s how to do it right.

What If Moscow Cancels Airline Overflight Rights?
(Defense One)  The world is watching Russia, worrying that it might invade Ukraine or launch military assaults against NATO member states. But Moscow may, true to form, decide to do something completely different. And to throw the West into turmoil, the Kremlin would only need to take one simple administrative measure: suspend Western airlines’ overflight rights.

Military May Take Months to Gauge 5G Safety Risks to Aircraft
(Defense News)  As the commercial airline and telecommunications industries scramble to limit the potential safety risks to aircraft from a rollout of new 5G networks, it may be months before the U.S. military has a handle on whether, or how big, of a problem this might be for its own planes.

The Military is Preparing for a ‘Space Superhighway,’ Complete with Pit Stops
(Defense One)  USTRANSCOM and the Space Force see a future space superhighway system where the US, commercial partners, and allies would be able to make repeat, regular trips to the moon or beyond by using multiple hubs where they could gas up, have maintenance done, and even throw out their trash. Now they’re thinking about getting those orbiting pit stops up and running sooner rather than later. Because it’s not just about making the journey more comfortable, it’s about preventing China from building the hubs first.

U.S. Army Corps Gets $14B for Ports, Waterway and Costal Investments
(The Maritime Executive)  The White House has announced the next phase of investments planned to enhance America’s waterways and ports to strengthen the supply chain as well as repair damage and provide future defense against flooding and other impacts of climate change.

How AI and Blockchain Could Fix Broken Supply Chains
(The Maritime Executive)  When the coronavirus crisis erupted in 2020, it became apparent that the medical emergency was accompanied by severe shortages, especially in some medical devices. Now, two years since Covid first hit, this pattern has affected almost every sector of the global economy. But why has Covid had such a severe effect on how we receive products and goods?

Go Small or Go Home: Understanding Affiliation Rules for Set-Aside Contracts
(Federal News Network)  Many small businesses, as well as their teaming partners. do not understand how the Small Business Administration determines whether a company is small or the various ways in which a small business can unintentionally lose its status as a small business. Understanding these concepts is critical to remaining eligible to bid and receive set-aside contracts.

Where Have All the Pilots Gone?
(FLYING Magazine)  We’ve all heard plenty about the shortage of commercial and corporate pilots in the U.S. It’s affected travel, business, and everything in between. We all know it’s happening, but where did these pilots go?

Amid Huge Shortage, New Truck Drivers Train for Some of Supply Chain’s Toughest Jobs
(The Washington Post)  Much of the nation’s $23 trillion economy rides on the back of trucks. But as the pandemic upends consumer spending habits, there has never been a bigger mismatch between the mountain of freight that needs to be hauled around the country and the number of truckers willing to do the hauling.

Air Cargo Supply Chains are Expected to Remain Under Pressure
(Logistics Management)  Air rates are feeling even more upward pressure than usual from reduced passenger jet capacity—which could be made worse by omicron fears—and congestion due to labor shortages among overwhelmed ground crews.

Fearless Supply Chain Predictions: Here’s What Will Happen in 2022
(Freight Waves)  Goodbye, 2021. Hello, 2022. What do you have in store for us? More supply chain issues? More port congestion? More driver issues? More topsy-turvy developments? Probably a little bit of everything.

The Household Goods Contract is Protested — Again — with Military Families Caught in the Middle
(Military Times)  Two unsuccessful bidders have filed protests of the recently awarded $6.2 billion contract aimed at fixing the long-standing problems with moving service members’ household goods.

TSA Issues Directives to Rail Sector to Strengthen Cybersecurity
(The Hill)  The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has issued two security directives requiring rail and rail transit groups to implement steps to strengthen cybersecurity of the sector, including a requirement to report cyber incidents to the federal government.

Here’s How the Selection of a Single Contractor to Arrange PCS Moves Might Help
(MilitaryTimes)  The selection of a single company to arrange military moves worldwide will improve every part of the process for service members and their families, from scheduling the move to filing claims for loss and damage, said the CEO of the company that has just been awarded the $6.2 billion contract.

Trucking’s Role in Untangling the Web of West Coast Port Congestion
(Supply Chain Dive)  With a historic bottleneck at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in California, supply chain stakeholders seek to unearth the root causes of congestion. But the cause of the chokepoint at the San Pedro Bay ports is up for debate.

Latest Supply Chain Challenge: China’s Terrestrial AIS Data Blackout
(American Shipper)  Since China began implementing its new privacy laws on Nov. 1, many Chinese automatic identification system (AIS) terrestrial providers have stopped transmitting data until they understand the regulations, resulting in an incomplete picture of vessels in the ports.

The Supply Chain Crisis’ Latest Woe: Cargo Theft that May Last as Long as the Backlogs Do
(Yahoo Finance)  With a number of cargo containers bottlenecked at California’s ports, another problem has ensnared the companies trying to ship goods, and the customers and shops waiting for those supplies. Theft.

Biden’s $1T Infrastructure Bill Historic, Not Transformative
(The Seattle Times)  The $1 trillion infrastructure bill that President Joe Biden signs into law represents a historic achievement at a time of deeply fractured politics. But the compromises needed to bridge the political divide suggest that the spending might not be as transformative as Biden has promised for the U.S. economy.

Quantum Sensor Breakthrough Paves Way For GPS-Free Navigation
(Defense One)  Quantum science—one of the Pentagon’s top research priorities—may be about to deliver on its longtime promise of an alternative to GPS.

NASA, Space Force See Growing Opportunities to Use Commercial Space Services
(SpaceNews)  NASA’s chief economist Alexander MacDonald said aggressive competition for space agency contracts is “one of the most exciting things that we’re seeing.” Competitive forces in the industry are going to help drive down the cost of what he called “core elements of human space exploration.”

Roads, Transit, Internet: What’s In the Infrastructure Bill
(AP News)  The $1 trillion infrastructure plan that now goes to President Joe Biden to sign into law has money for roads, bridges, ports, rail transit, safe water, the power grid, broadband internet, and more.

USTRANSCOM Awards Contract to Improve the Moving Process for Service Members and Their Families
[US Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM)]  USTRANSCOM has awarded the Global Household Goods Contract (GHC), worth an estimated $6.2 Billion to HomeSafe Alliance, LLC, of Houston. The contract provides complete door-to-door global household goods relocation transportation and warehouse services worldwide for Department of Defense (DOD) personnel, U.S. Coast Guard members, and other federal employees.

White House Gives Federal Contractors Flexibility in Enforcing Vaccine Mandate
(The Hill) The Biden administration is giving federal contractors flexibility to decide how to enforce COVID-19 vaccination requirements for workers, according to new guidance from the White House.

House Extends Highway Funding to Dec. 3 Amid Delayed Infrastructure Vote
(The Hill)  The House has passed yet another short-term extension of highway and transit construction programs in order to avert thousands of worker furloughs and halted projects. Another short-term patch was passed about a month ago when House Democrats were unable to clear the Senate-passed bipartisan infrastructure bill that would renew the highway programs for five years.

Buy American: Biden Sees Industry Pushback as Allies Warn of Trade Consequences
(Defense News) Since taking office, President Biden has taken executive action to boost Buy American requirements, but ― in spite of loopholes to protect allied countries ― not everyone is happy about it. The defense industry is pushing back, wary the protectionist policy will trigger a backlash that shuts out American-made weapons and gear from overseas markets.

FAA has ‘Deep Concern’ About 5G Network Plan on Aviation Safety—Letter
(Reuters)  The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has raised significant concerns about a plan to use spectrum for 5G wireless networks on aviation safety and sources say the agency is planning to issue a formal warning about the issue.

Bus Industry Raises Alarm, Asks Congress for Pandemic Relief
(The Hill)  Officials representing the private bus industry fear it could disappear unless Congress steps in, a coronavirus pandemic casualty that would wreak havoc on intercity travel, school buses, tourism, military transportation, and disaster relief.

Military Families Can See Moving Company Red Flags on New Website
(Military.com)  The military rolled out a new website service this week for military families on permanent change of station, or PCS, orders that shows whether moving companies are regularly on time or have been suspended at some point.

DoD’s Commercial Buying Challenges
(Federal News Network)  One of the many questions that will face the Biden administration this year is how to improve defense acquisition. A central challenge has been the inability of the Department of Defense to attract non-traditional suppliers, who often make most of their revenue in the commercial sector.

The CEO of a Logistics Startup Took a Boat Tour of the Port of Long Beach and Found A Lot of Things Wrong, Including Terminals ‘Simply Overflowing with Containers’
(Business Insider)  As US shipping ports grow increasingly congested, logistics leaders and local officials are seeking solutions to the national supply chain crisis. The City of Long Beach, California, issued a statement announcing it will temporarily permit additional container stacking to free up space and alleviate port congestion.

KC-46 Gets New Refueling Approvals for TRANSCOM Missions
(Defense News)  The KC-46 Pegasus is now able to refuel the Air Force’s fourth-generation fighter jets during missions for U.S. Transportation Command, expanding the service’s air refueling capacity and the capability of its newest tanker.

White House: Walmart, FedEx, UPS to Go 24/7 to Address Supply Bottlenecks
(The Hill)  Major goods carriers Walmart, FedEx and UPS will move to working 24 hours a day, seven days a week in order to address the global supply chain bottlenecks, the White House announced last week.

How China Is Planning For a Tech Decoupling
(Defense One)  Rising tensions between the U.S. and China and the recognition of a new kind of race for technological advantage has led Washington to tighten restrictions on Chinese companies’ access to critical technologies and to reevaluate the China-U.S. STEM talent pipeline. China is responding with preparations for a lengthy tech competition and decoupling.

How the Army Plans to Deal with ‘Tons’ of Stuff Brought Back From Afghanistan
(Federal News Network)  The Army famously left behind physical assets when the Biden administration ordered the sudden pullout from Afghanistan. But the Army also airlifted tons and tons of vehicles, weapons, ordnance, and other gear.

Four-Star Spotlights Key Problem Areas for the Army in the Pacific
(ArmyTimes)  When Gen. Charles Flynn scans about half the globe to keep his Army forces ready in the Pacific, there are three key areas that pull his attention.

Those are the southeast, western and northern areas surrounding Singapore.

Can’t Sail Away From Cyber Attacks: ‘Sea-Hacking From Land
(War on the Rocks)  The vast bulk of the world’s critical economic and military traffic passes through a handful of narrow strategic waterways known as “maritime chokepoints.” While these waterways have always been prey to pirates, weather, and maritime accidents, these perils are now joined by maritime cyber attacks — whether conducted for ransom, malicious disruption, piracy, or as part of larger geopolitical conflicts.

Mind the ‘Middle Powers’ Gap
(Defense One)  While pivoting from terrorism to great powers, the U.S. should pay far more attention to those countries caught in the struggle between democracy and authoritarianism.

JAIC Thinks AI Might Solve DoD’s Struggles with Contract Writing Systems
(Federal News Network)  The Defense Department has been trying to move the military services and Defense agencies to a single, modernized contract writing system for a decade now. And although those efforts have seen major setbacks, DoD’s Joint Artificial Intelligence Center thinks it might be possible to build one with AI and to have something to show for it as early as next March.

DHS Adds Cyber Requirements for Transportation Industry
(Federal Computer Week) Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has announced that the government will add requirements for cybersecurity information sharing to companies in the transportation sector.

Bill Would Create Supply Chain Crisis Office Within Commerce Department
(Nextgov)  Bipartisan legislation recently introduced in the House would create a Supply Chain Resiliency and Crisis Office within the Commerce Department to address shortages of critical goods and services, industrial equipment, and certain manufacturing technologies.

The Workers Who Keep Global Supply Chains Moving Are Warning of a ‘System Collapse’
(CNN Business)  Seafarers, truck drivers, and airline workers have endured quarantines, travel restrictions, and complex Covid-19 vaccination and testing requirements to keep stretched supply chains moving during the pandemic. But many are now reaching their breaking point, posing yet another threat to the badly tangled network of ports, container vessels, and trucking companies that moves goods around the world.

House Passes 30-Day Surface Transportation Funding Extension Amid Infrastructure Stalemate
(The Hill)  The House on Friday night passed legislation to reauthorize funding for highway and transit construction programs that lapsed the day before in an effort to avert thousands of worker furloughs and interrupted projects.

Future-Proofing Merchant Mariners
(The Maritime Executive)  With declarations that the age of unmanned navigation is upon us, merchant mariners may worry that they’ll soon be unemployed. Yet as shipping technology evolves, they’re likely to find themselves in need of retraining rather than out of a job. To burnish their skills, many turn to maritime academies.

DoD, VA Officials Prep for a Possible Government Shutdown Later This Week
(Defense News)  In anticipation of a possible government shutdown later this week, leaders from the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs have begun warning employees of possible office closures, program interruptions, and potential furloughs that will result from a budget lapse.

Operation DGAR: A Collective Effort to Repatriate Stranded Mariners During a Global Pandemic
(gCaptain)  By the spring of 2020, COVID-19 restrictions on travel had stranded hundreds of mariners on 13 commercial and U.S. government-owned ships based on and around the remote island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. What to do? This is how Operation DGAR was born.

What to Expect When You’re Expecting a National Defense Strategy
(War on the Rocks)  The new National Defense Strategy that the Biden administration is writing should reckon with the challenges and the ramifications of rapidly expanding global threats. Conservatives and progressives alike share the goal of better securing the United States and its interests. Read some ideas for how the National Defense Strategy should do this.

U.S. TRANSCOM Again Delays Contract Aimed at Fixing Problems with Household Goods Moves
(Military Times)  U.S. Transportation Command officials have again delayed the award of a new contract aimed at improving household goods moves for military members and their families. The contract will be awarded “no earlier than” late October, said Andre Kok, a spokesman for TRANSCOM.

House Transportation Reps in GOP Press for Truck Parking
(Transport Topics)  With the U.S. House scheduled to consider key aspects of President Joe Biden’s infrastructure agenda this week, a group of Republican lawmakers continues to advocate for additional access to truck parking.

Federal Cyber Agencies Call Zero Trust ‘New Normal’ of Security, Partnering to Implement
(Federal News Network)  Still wondering what the “new normal” will look like? Federal cyber leaders say it looks an awful lot like zero trust — at least on the IT side of things.

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.