The Official Newsletter of The National Defense Transportation Association
July 28, 2020
REMINDER: Join us this week for the Surface Port Projection Conference! Find details at www.ndtahq.com/events/ports-conference/.
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Registration is opened for the NDTA-USTRANSCOM Fall Meeting (Virtual)
Registration is now reopened for the 2020 NDTA-USTRANSCOM Fall Meeting (Virtual), scheduled for October 5-8, 2020. We invite you to join from wherever you are located on the globe for this virtual event.
2020 marks the eighth year for the co-sponsored National Defense Transportation Association and U.S. Transportation Command event, but our first virtual meeting. As many are aware, this year’s theme is “Innovative and Disruptive … 20/20 Vision for the Future” and perfectly illustrates the disruptive challenges we are facing in the COVID-19 pandemic environment and the innovations needed to overcome and continue to operate. […READ MORE…]
GUEST COMMENTARY
Major New Requirement for All Federal Contractors
By Bill Wanamaker, American Trucking Association, and Buzz Bailey, Bailey FedK Consultants
All federal contractors must soon certify they neither sell nor use certain telecommunications equipment, components or services from five or more companies in the People’s Republic of China.
All contractors providing any product or service to any federal agency will be impacted starting on August 13, 2020, by Section 889 of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (Public Law 115-232, hereinafter “Sec. 889”). This initially prohibited agencies from purchasing or using covered telecommunications equipment or services, and will now require federal contractors to make a new representation that they do not use covered equipment—whether or not that equipment is used in the performance of a federal contract. Any contractor could potentially be excluded (debarred) from federal contracts if the company makes an inaccurate representation about its use of equipment and services from the banned Chinese companies. […READ MORE…]
Enabling Warfighter Readiness: Keys to Success
Daniel Labyak, Manager of Clearance Bureau, CSX, presented “Enabling Warfighter Readiness: Keys to Success” during Transportation Academy held in conjunction with the NDTA-USTRANSCOM Fall Meeting in St. Louis, Missouri. His presentation was made as part of the Rail Industry Update class on October 8, 2019.
CSX and others participated in a speed of war exercise with the military, which entailed deploying a brigade from Fort Hood, Texas, to the Port of Jacksonville, Florida. The scope of the exercise was impressive, with nearly 600 railcars and over 2,000 pieces of equipment moved.
Labyak detailed four keys to success in the exercise that enabled warfighter readiness: Interchange, Line of Road Bandwidth, Communication, and Teamwork. […READ MORE…]
Editor’s Picks
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.
Milley Assigns Service Roles in All-Domain Ops Concept
(Breaking Defense) Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley has tasked each of the services to develop a specific piece of the overarching concept for future Joint All-Domain Operations (JADO), which envisions seamlessly lethal coordination across land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace.
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.
Commanders Need to Know Innovative Acquisition
(War on the Rocks) Successful commanders were skilled in a lot of areas: leadership style, ability to communicate, forming relationships, and motivating troops. But, perhaps most importantly, the successful commanders all had the ability to navigate government bureaucracy — specifically the acquisitions process.
Freight Payment Index: Shipment, Spend Indexes Reflect an Economy in Recession
(U.S. Bank) As much of the U.S. remained in lockdown mode during the second quarter of 2020, the freight industry saw a significant downturn in freight shipments and volume.
Savi Technology Providing Asset Tracking & In-Transit Visibility Capabilities to U.S. Department of Defense
(Savi Technology) Savi has been awarded a contract from the Army Contracting Command-Rock Island to provide U.S. government agencies and allied partners with state-of-the-art hardware, software, and integration services for worldwide asset tracking and in-transit visibility.
Defense Logistics Agency Energy Awards Strategic Bulk Fuel Storage Contract to Crowley
(Crowley) Crowley Solutions’ government services group has announced it has been awarded a multi-year contract from the Defense Logistics Agency Energy.
Maersk on Board Journey to Zero Emissions
(American Shipper) Maersk is one of nine global corporate powerhouses working together to accelerate the transition to a world with net-zero emissions.
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