The Official Newsletter of The National Defense Transportation Association

April 8, 2024

2024 NDTA Foundation Scholarships – Due April 15, 2024

NDTA wants to remind you that we are accepting applications for our four scholarship opportunities for members and their children: Program A for currently enrolled college students, Academic Scholarship Program B for soon-to-be high school graduates accepted at an accredited institution, and Academic Scholarship Program C for currently enrolled, distance learning college students, along with Academic Scholarship Program D, The Denny Edwards Graduate Scholarship for Graduate (Masters) Degree Students. […READ MORE…]

Global Household Goods Contract Domestic Phase-In to Begin in April

The Defense Personal Property Management Office (DPMO) at U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), in coordination with military service and U.S. Coast Guard headquarters leadership, has selected 14 initial domestic installations to be the first to award shipments under the new GHC program, where HomeSafe Alliance is the prime vendor. These installations are supported by shipping offices located within five main geographical areas – Norfolk, Va., Jacksonville, N.C., Seattle/Tacoma, Wash., Camp Pendleton, Calif. and San Diego, Calif. […READ MORE…]

Rental Car Agreement #5 Now in Effect

The Defense Travel Management Office (DTMO) announces the release of U.S. Government Rental Car Agreement #5, which went into effect April 1, 2024, and incorporates new cost savings provisions. […READ MORE…]

Editor’s Picks

Pentagon Tested Generative AI to Draft Supply Plans in Latest GIDE 9 Wargame

(Breaking Defense)  Supply officers at the military’s operational combatant commands tested ChatGPT-like software to help them write logistics plans, as part of the latest Global Information Dominance Experiment, GIDE 9. Their verdict: Generative AI showed huge potential to help them sort through masses of mind-numbing details and outline options to offer their human commander — a crucial aspect of the nascent revolution in command-and-control known as CJADC2.

US Army’s Fresh Look at Watercraft Includes Unmanned Options

(Defense News)  The U.S. Army has reexamined its watercraft needs as it prepares for potential complex operations in challenging environments like the Indo-Pacific theater, according to the head of Army Futures Command.

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.

Air Mobility Commander Pushes for Connectivity for Outdated Mobility Fleet

(Defense One)  The Air Force’s mobility fleet needs to be better connected to the joint force if it’s going to be ready to fight in the Pacific, according to Air Mobility Command’s leader Gen. Mike Minihan who said, “We have more connectivity in our cars and on our cell phones than we do in the forward edge of the mobility platforms right now—and we have got to aggressively depart from that.”

Thank You Corporate Members

Please join us in welcoming NDTA’s newest Chairman’s Circle member Alamo City Engineering Services Inc. and its newest Sustaining member Preferred Corporate Housing!

AAR Announces Exclusive Commercial Distribution Agreement with TRIUMPH

(AAR CORP.)  AAR CORP. has announced an exclusive multi-year commercial distribution agreement with TRIUMPH’s Actuation Products & Services business unit. Under the agreement, which commences in January of 2026, AAR will exclusively distribute TRIUMPH’s commercial actuation product line, which includes more than 100 top-level assemblies and their subcomponents used on various Boeing and Airbus commercial platforms.

UPS Announces Significant Partnership Expansion with USPS

(UPS)  UPS announced the company has been awarded a significant air cargo contract by the United States Postal Service (USPS). This award is effective immediately and greatly expands the existing relationship between the two organizations. Following a transition period, UPS will become the USPS’s primary air cargo provider and move the majority of USPS air cargo in the US.

Crowley Announces Four Newly Named Avance-Class Vessels for 2025

(Crowley)  Crowley recently announced it has named its four new LNG fueled, Avance (pronounced: ah-bahn-seh with the English meaning Advance) Class container ships. The four vessels will be delivered in 2025. As they join the fleet, these ships’ names will pay homage to the local communities the company serves in Central America and strengthen its connection to the region.

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