The Official Newsletter of The National Defense Transportation Association

January 21, 2020

U.S. Military Reliance on the Commercial Tanker Market – Assured versus Assumed Access: Two very different capabilities

An NDTA Educational Editorial

Important Topic: Approved for publication by VADM (ret.) William A. Brown, USN

Executive Summary: On the surface, the pool of Medium Range (MR) sized tankers trading commercially numbers approximately 3,000. This relatively large fleet allows for different views and approaches towards accessing commercial tankers based upon a defined set of demand criteria. Two areas, in particular, have a significant impact on the interpretation of assured versus assumed access. First, is an understanding of the nuances of the tanker commercial marketplace. Second, is the constantly evolving geopolitical landscape that influences foreign governments and company(ies) decision making. This paper will explore these two areas in more detail, alongside a contrast of U.S. policy versus China policy. There is no concrete conclusion to be offered here, simply due to the dynamic nature of the variables any conclusion may be invalidated in short order. Consequently, it offers a set of considerations U.S. defense decision makers should be aware of as they assess a posture of assured versus assumed access to commercial tanker capacity. […]

The IFBattery Flow-Battery/Hydrogen-Generator

By Karine Christakes, MBA-HR, CSBO

I sat quietly listening to top scientists from around the world giving 15 – 30 minute presentations at the International Society for Porous Media held in Spain in May 2019.

A hush fell over the audience as the next speaker approached the podium, Dr. John Cushman, Distinguished Professor from Purdue University in the Departments of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences and Mathematics, and President of IFBattery, Inc. Most who attended this conference or others like it in the past had already heard of the technology he and his team at IFBattery had been working on for almost five years.

Watching the reactions of his fellow scientists piqued my interest as I watched eyes grow large and jaws drop as Dr. Cushman began explaining this new technology. One person exclaimed, “That’s impossible!” Others leaned forward in their chairs, hoping to learn how it could be possible. […]

What’s in the Phase One Trade Agreement Between the US and China?

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

The Economic and Trade Agreement Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the People’s Republic of China was signed January 15. This is the first phase of the trade deal that was announced in December. Here is an overview of what it covers:

Intellectual Property
Theft of intellectual property has been an ongoing concern for US companies. The trade agreement includes a chapter on intellectual property aimed at strengthening and enforcing penalties for intellectual property theft. Specifically, the chapter addresses concerns in the areas of trade secrets, patents and pharmaceutical-related intellectual property, geographical indications, trademarks, and enforcement against pirated and counterfeit goods. […]

Treasury Tightens Foreign Investment Review Rules
(Politico) The Treasury Department has finalized two regulations that expand the power of the U.S. executive branch to block foreign investments in real estate or certain businesses involved in critical technology, infrastructure or personal data.

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.

USDOT Announces $900 Million for Freight, Highway Grants
(Transport Topics) Transportation officials nationwide who are seeking a federal boost to help advance major freight or highway projects may find it in the form of a federal grant. The U.S. Department of Transportation announced this week that slightly more than $900 million has been made available for the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America, or INFRA, grants.

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?

A New GPS III Satellite is Online. What Will It Bring to the Fleet?
(C4ISRNET) The first GPS III satellite is officially healthy and available for use by the military and civilians as of Jan. 13, thanks to a ground segment upgrade that provides the military command and control of the new, more powerful navigation satellite.

AAR Mobility Systems Awarded Contract From the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support to Produce Specialized Shipping/Storage Containers
(AAR CORP.) AAR Mobility Systems has been awarded a sole-source Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract to produce specialized shipping/storage containers and accessories for DLA Troop Support in Philadelphia.

AI and Machine Learning at Work
(SAP Concur) Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its subset technology, Machine Learning (ML), are very much in the controllable, powerful tech tool phase of its existence, so businesses around the world are adopting AI and ML to simplify work processes and run more intelligently.

Maersk’s Blockchain Trade Platform Gains Traction with Ports
(The Maritime Executive) The Maersk – IBM blockchain-based supply chain platform known as TradeLens has been steadily racking up partnerships with ports and terminal operators, with about 90 signed up to date worldwide.

A Pragmatist’s Guide to Zero-Emission Logistics
(Agility) Getting to zero emissions in logistics is a daunting task. We need a pragmatic approach that balances high-tech practices with practical ones that offer a role for everyone.

DHL Global Forwarding Partners with Xylem Watermark for Critical Aid Shipments and Humanitarian Logistics Support Around the World
(DHL) DHL Global Forwarding, the air and ocean freight specialist of Deutsche Post DHL Group, announced today that leading global water technology company, Xylem, has chosen DHL Global Forwarding as their primary logistics provider for humanitarian relief activities delivered through its corporate social responsibility program, Xylem Watermark