The Official Newsletter of The National Defense Transportation Association
January 21, 2026
Register Today
February 23 – 26, 2026
Early Bird Registration ends January 22, 2026
The National Defense Transportation Association (NDTA), in association with the Defense Travel Management Office (DTMO), is hosting the 2026 GovTravels February 23-26, 2026, at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center, Alexandria, VA.
GovTravels is a four-day event that brings together bringing together experts from across the federal government and the commercial travel industry to examine a wide range of issues that impact the government’s multi-billion dollar travel enterprise. During this event we educate and train DoD travel managers on best practices and strategies, allow government program administrators to learn more about emerging technologies, exchange ideas and collaborate on travel issues, identify and capture actions and build relationships among government and industry commercial travel experts. […READ MORE…]
Save the Date
May 18-21, 2026
NDTA-CAS
Surface Force Projection Meeting
Registration opens January 29, 2026. Check website for details.
Join the National Defense Transportation Association (NDTA) and Christopher Newport University’s Center for American Studies (CAS) Surface Force Projection Meeting (SFPM), May 18-21, 2026, at Christopher Newport University, Newport News, VA. Connect with top U.S. government and industry experts to tackle deployment and sustainment challenges and address this year’s theme, “Projecting Power in a Globally Contested Environment — Ideas into Action!” Network with peers, attend insightful sessions, and hear from renowned speakers. NDTA, along with CAS, partners with the U.S. Army Transportation Command (ARTRANS), Military Sealift Command (MSC), U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD), the U.S. Coast Guard, logistics and transportation industry, and academia to provide the SFPM. Mark your calendar and don’t miss out! Details on agenda, lodging, and registration will be available on our website starting December 18, 2025. Registration opens on January 29, 2026. Become an NDTA member today for exclusive benefits!
NDTA Europe & Africa Regional Committee Meeting, January 20-21, 2026 Workforce Development Center, Sembach Kaserne, Germany
Please join us for the NDTA Europe & Africa Regional Committee meeting at the Workforce Development Center in Sembach Kaserne, Germany. The theme of the meeting is “Building Trust and Collaboration: Fostering Partnerships for Sustainable Impact.”
This highly anticipated annual event serves as a forum that brings together government, military, industry, and allied stakeholders to coordinate and collaborate on defense transportation, logistics, and mobility challenges. The agenda includes several notable keynote speakers, committee sessions, and a sponsored off-site dinner with entertainment.
Four regional subcommittees will help bridge civil-military, industry, and government perspectives, offering a neutral, non-political space for problem solving, innovation, and strategic alignment:
Air / Airlift Subcommittee
Surface / Land Transport Subcommittee
Sealift & Ports / Sea & Port Operations Subcommittee
Passenger Travel Subcommittee
Please visit our webpage for registration details, the event agenda, sponsorships, information contacts, and more!
(transportation.gov) U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and Federal Aviation Administrator Bryan Bedford announced two new test sites for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). The sites, which are in The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and Indiana Economic Development Corporation, are the first new UAS testing grounds in nearly a decade.
The UAS Test Site program supports development, testing, and evaluation of public and civil unmanned aircraft and related technologies and helps advance the safe integration of drones into the National Airspace System. In August, Secretary Duffy unveiled a new proposed Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) rule to significantly expand the use-case for drone technologies. […READ MORE…]
(transportation.gov) U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy met with Maryland Governor Wes Moore to discuss solutions to accelerate the reconstruction of both the Francis Scott Key Bridge (FSK), pictured, and the American Legion Bridge. They provided a Joint Statement:
“We all agree that building great, big, things shouldn’t be impossible in America. That includes the Francis Scott Key Bridge and the American Legion Memorial Bridge – two major infrastructure projects that are essential to the Baltimore and Beltway economy.
During today’s meeting, we made significant progress. We agreed to accelerate the reconstruction of both the Francis Scott Key Bridge and the American Legion bridge.” […READ MORE…]
Apply for 2026 NDTA Foundation Scholarships,
now through Wednesday, April 15, 2026
As we recognize the New Year and wish you all the best in 2026, NDTA wants to remind you that we are accepting applications for the 2026-2027 academic year. Applications are being accepted through April 15 via e-mail at ndtahq@ndtahq.com for our four academic scholarship programs for members and their children:
- Program A – for currently enrolled college students
- Program B – for soon-to-be high school graduates accepted at an accredited institution
- Program C – for currently enrolled, distance learning college students
- Program D, The Denny Edwards Graduate Scholarship – for graduate (master’s degree) students
NDTA offers all scholarship winners a unique opportunity to join our Industry Connect Program (ICP). The ICP links interested students with an industry mentor to help them bridge to the future. More information can be found here.
NDTA is excited about the education and development of our Nation’s future logistics and transportation leaders! Providing scholarships and the ICP helps us promote learning and professional development. To learn about scholarship qualification details and how to apply, go to www.ndtahq.com/foundation/, call us at 703-751-5011 or send us an email at ndtahq@ndtahq.com. Read student testimonials from previous scholarship recipients to learn about the impact it has had on their studies and their career paths.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Editor’s Picks
Marines Training to Field Small Drones in Combat Units by Year’s End
(USNI.org) The Marine Corps is ramping up new training courses with plans to field 10,000 small drones and equip its ground combat teams with the unmanned aircraft systems by the end of the year. The service wants to put drones in the hands of every infantry battalion, reconnaissance unit and littoral combat team by late 2026 in an initial drive to expand its small UAS inventory across its operational forces.
Army Punches Its MV-75 Tiltrotor Program into Overdrive
(TWZ.com) The U.S. Army has confirmed to TWZ that it plans to start fielding its new MV-75 tiltrotors in 2027. This is some five years earlier than originally planned, at least, and three years earlier than what the service was targeting just 12 months ago. The Army has been pushing for some time now to accelerate this program, which it sees as especially critical for any future high-end conflict in the Pacific region.
(theaviationist.com) NASA announced on Jan. 15, 2026, that two recently retired U.S. Air Force F-15D Eagle aircraft have found a new home to continue flying. In fact, on Dec. 22, 2025, two Eagles of the Oregon Air National Guard’s 173rd Fighter Wing at Kingsley Field were NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.
The Military Will Now Do Grocery Delivery for 70 On-base Commissaries Across the U.S.
Troops, families and veterans will be able to order groceries to their doors, bringing base commissaries into the 21st century.
By the end of January, military families within a 20-mile radius of 70 stateside commissaries will be able to order groceries online through the Defense Commissary Agency’s CLICK2GO, officials announced in a release. Eligible locations include most of the major bases, like Fort Bragg and Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, and Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
US Navy, Marines to Get L3Harris Robots for Bomb Disposal Missions
(militarytimes.com) The U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy have sealed a deal with L3Harris Technologies for 34 large T7 robots to support the services in explosive ordnance disposal missions.
The multiyear contract award will see robots delivered to the services this year. The details of the award amount are not being disclosed at this time.
(naca.aero) The National Air Carrier Association is pleased to announce that ABX Air, Inc., has joined the association. “NACA is excited to bring ABX Air on board as a full member,” said NACA President and CEO George Novak. “ABX Air increases our strong representation of cargo carriers within the commercial aviation industry. This continued growth validates the influence our advocacy can deploy on behalf of our members.”
Shipping Giant Maersk Resumes Container Service Via Suez Canal as Red Sea Stability Improves
Maersk has announced the return of its MECL container service to the trans-Suez route, marking its first structural shift back to the Suez Canal after lengthy diversions around the Cape of Good Hope due to security concerns in the Red Sea.
The MECL service, which is operated solely by Maersk, links the Middle East and India with the US East Coast.
Port of Long Beach Sees Record Year for Cargo Volumes in 2025
The Port of Long Beach reported its busiest year in its 115-year history in 2025, after processing 9.9 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). Despite Trump administration tariffs fueling near-constant concerns over global trade in 2025, the Port of Long Beach moved more than 9 million TEUs for just the third time in its history and was the busiest port in the nation for the first four months of the year.
The Source is a free educational publication for NDTA members, conference attendees, and associates.