The Official Newsletter of The National Defense Transportation Association

June 15, 2021

Yesterday was Flag Day…Here are a couple of facts you may or may not be aware of relative to this holiday: a.) The adoption of the American flag was by resolution of the Second Continental Congress in 1777. b.) The 1777 resolution did not set the size or proportions of the flag, or even what shape the constellation of stars should be. As a result, flags of the era showed the constellation of stars in different arrangements, and flags were made with differing proportions. It was not until 1912 that the flag’s design was standardized. c.) The first flag was not made by Betsy Ross. We do know that Ross was a seamstress and that she probably did sew American flags; she just didn’t create the first one. d.) The Pledge of Allegiance was written not for Flag Day, but for Columbus Day. e.) Each year the U.S. president delivers an address that proclaims the week of June 14 as National Flag Week, and all Americans are encouraged to fly U.S. flags during that week.
 

• FEMA recently updated the COVID-19 Healthcare Resource Roadmap to assist state, local, tribal and territorial (SLTT) partners with the unprecedented challenges associated with healthcare support during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• CDC Statement on Requirement for Face Masks on Public Transportation Conveyances and at Transportation Hubs

NDTA-USTRANSCOM Fall Meeting Delivers

The National Defense Transportation Association and the U.S. Transportation Command will co-sponsor the Fall Meeting 2021, at the Gaylord National Resort and Conference Center, National Harbor, MD, October 18-21, 2021. Don’t miss your chance to learn about new technologies, develop best practices and build professional and personal relationships. This year’s theme, “Resilient & Reliable Logistics…Agile and Adaptable,” focuses attention on the challenges associated with operating in contested and pandemic environments spanning all domains and geographic locations.

• Hear perspectives and interact with keynote speakers at the highest levels of government and industry, including the USTRANSCOM Commander.
• Interact with experts at over 65 Transportation Academy classes.
• View the Fall Meeting promotional Video
• Register today to save $100. Early bird pricing ends August 5^th.

Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter – #fallmeeting

By Adam Kaplan, CEO of Edgybees

GeoRegistration is the association of a visual object in an image or a video with an accurate geographical location. In other words, it is the meshing of imagery with the geographical coordinates and landmarks that provides the necessary context to the visual. […READ MORE…]

Naval Supply Systems Command Leveraging ISCM to Drive Fleet Readiness

By Brian Jones, Office of Corporate Communications, NAVSUP Weapon Systems Support

The Navy’s supply chain has never been more integrated. Supply planners at Naval Supply Systems Command, Weapon Systems Support (NAVSUP WSS), and Defense Logistics Agency – Aviation (DLA-A) are leveraging a more transparent and responsive supply chain through Integrated Supply Chain Management (ISCM) to deliver material support to flight lines and repair facilities globally. […READ MORE…]

Editor’s Picks

Hack the Army Uncovers 238 Cyber “Vulnerabilities”
(Breaking Defense) The third annual Hack the Army event uncovered 238 security vulnerabilities—102 rated “high” or “critical”—in Army tech. “We cannot afford a ‘next time we will do better’ mentality,” said one Defense Digital Service participant.

What 5G Will Actually Do for the U.S. Military
(Defense One) Imagine a city where a self-driving electric car anticipates when and where to pick you up. There is no traffic, because every vehicle is in constant communication with every other car and traffic light. That internet-of-things enabled city of the future looks a lot like the experiments with ubiquitous 5G cellular networking the military is doing today.

DoD Calls for Whole-of-Government Effort to Improve Critical Supply Chains
(Federal News Network) The Defense Department said it will need at least $1 billion over the next five years to strengthen its stockpile of critical materials. The recommendation comes from a report mandated by the White House that looked at supply chain issues at DoD, the Commerce Department, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Energy Department.

The Truth About Tripwires: Why Small Force Deployments Do Not Deter Aggression
(Texas National Security Review) A pillar of American grand strategy since 1945 has been the deployment of forces—sometimes smaller and sometimes larger—abroad. A key logic underpinning smaller deployments is that they serve as tripwires: Attacking them is assumed to inevitably trigger broader intervention, deterring aggression. We question this logic.

U.S. Navy Wants to Decommission Six Littoral Combat Ships
(The Maritime Executive) The U.S. Navy is doing what it can to high-grade its troubled fleet of Littoral Combat Ships, repairing persistent defects in the best vessels while attempting to dispose of the worst – including two Freedom-class ships that are just a few years old.

What Blockchain Tells Us about the Pentagon’s Innovation Struggles
(Defense One) A shared digital ledger whose every transaction is preserved in mathematical amber, blockchain can offer transparency, trustworthiness, and immutability—qualities of obvious value to the world of defense acquisition. But to the U.S. defense industry, blockchain is just another small-company innovation that the Pentagon has failed to grasp, and it is instructive to look at why.

UniGroup Debuts All-New Logistics Platform
(UniGroup) UniGroup, the parent company of United Van Lines and Mayflower Transit has announced the UniGroup Logistics Platform, a single platform enabling shared visibility throughout the UniGroup enterprise.

4 Reasons to Be a Hazmat Truck Driver
(Tri-State Motor Transit) About three or four years into driving, truckers start to look for more opportunities and a path to making more money. As Tri-State shares, one of the best ways to increase pay, benefits, and experience on the road is to become a hazmat truck driver.

Hapag-Lloyd Massively Expands Its Container Fleet
(Hapag-Lloyd) Hapag-Lloyd is once again investing heavily in its container fleet: Following its large order of 150,000 TEU of containers in April, the shipping company ordered an additional 60,000 TEU of standard containers at the end of May. In doing so, Hapag-Lloyd is responding to the persistent global shortage of equipment – and will be able to provide a better service to its customers.

10 Reasons Why Sustainability is Pandemic-Proof
(Agility) After decades of doubt on the part of business leaders, sustainability is delivering ROI. Businesses, investors, consumers, governments, and others see it as a source of post-pandemic resiliency, efficiency, and competitive advantage. Why is it proving durable now? 

ATA Announces Formation of Climate and Clean Energy Advisory Committee
(American Trucking Associations) The American Trucking Associations has announced the formation of a new Climate and Clean Energy Advisory Committee to help shape the association’s policies and actions on a number of key environmental issues.

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