The Official Newsletter of The National Defense Transportation Association

December 8, 2022

The National Defense Transportation Association (NDTA) and the Defense Travel Management Office (DTMO), in association with the General Services Administration (GSA), are excited to host the 2023 GovTravels Symposium, February 27-March 1, 2023. […READ MORE…]

The Department of Defense has released its annual report on the “Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China,” commonly known as the China Military Power Report (CMPR). This Congressionally-mandated report serves as an authoritative assessment of the Defense Department’s pacing challenge and charts the current course of the PRC’s military and security strategy. […READ MORE…]

Register Now for the NDTA Europe & Africa Region Workshop 2023

Registration is open for the NDTA Europe & Africa Workshop scheduled for 24-25 January 2023 at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.

The 2023 Workshop intends to capture the same success as past NDTA Europe and Africa Regional Committee Meetings, providing Government and Industry an invaluable in-person opportunity to re-engage and deepen partnerships and better understand the EUCOM and AFRICOM current challenges; discuss solutions and ideas for future collaboration.

For additional details, including the agenda and registration visit:  www.ndtahq.com/committees-councils/europe-africa-regional-committees/

Education

By Sharon Lo Managing Editor, Defense Transportation Journal and The Source

Designated Strategic Seaports serve as a multimodal nexus for water, road, rail, and air. While modes may vary, all require human capital to make it successful. […READ MORE…]

Ice and snow will be no match for packages this winter at a key air cargo airport and sorting center. Federal, state, local, and business leaders today marked the completion of 3.3 million-square-foot de-icing pads at Memphis International Airport, home to FedEx’s largest air cargo sorting facility. […READ MORE…]

Editor’s Picks

• Tough Military Recruiting Environment is About More than Low Unemployment, Experts Say
• Recruiting Crisis? Not at Space Force
• Can the Air Force Train Nearly 1,500 Pilots This Year?
• Panel of Three-Star Generals to Lead Military Training Modernization

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.

WELCOME  NDTA Corporate Member
Please join NDTA in welcoming our newest Chairman’s Circle Plus member Carlile Transportation Systems, LLC!

LMI Expands Presence in Space Industry by Acquiring Synaptech
(LMI)  LMI has announced it has acquired Synaptech, an innovator in space defense through its proprietary software: the Rapid Analysis and Prototyping Toolkit for Resiliency (RAPTR). RAPTR provides an extensive, scalable architecture for modeling, simulation, analysis, and visualization for the space warfighting domain, as well as cross-domain warfare integration.

AAR and WZL-2 Celebrate Support of USAFE F-16 Fleet with Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony in Poland
(AAR CORP.) AAR CORP. and Polish aviation leader Wojskowe Zakłady Lotnicze Nr 2 (WZL-2) hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony earlier this month for their new state-of-the-art aircraft overhaul facility in Bydgoszcz, Poland. The depot capability will support the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) F-16 fleet.

How Emerging Technologies Can Usher in the Dawn of Pervasive Intelligence
[Ernst & Young Global Limited (EY)] In the future, pervasive intelligence will radically augment the capabilities of companies and people, boosting productivity, efficiency and sustainability. To harness the power of pervasive intelligence, companies need to act now to create the right business models and use cases, while working with ecosystem partners to build the right tech architectures to facilitate it.

Experience Fuels Excellence at Amerijet’s Miami Warehouse
(Amerijet)  Amerijet International Airline’s Miami warehouse facility is a central part of its cargo operation. The strategically organized 360,000-square-foot facility is under 24-hour surveillance, and integrated with SmartKargo, Amerijet’s cloud-based cargo management solution.

The Source is a free educational publication for NDTA members, conference attendees, and associates.