The Official Newsletter of The National Defense Transportation Association

June 2, 2020

New this week on www.ndtahq.com/covid-19-update/

Resources:

• Force Health Protection Guidance (Supplement 9) – DOD Guidance for Deployment & Redeployment
• Transition to Conditions-based Phased Approach to Personnel Movement & Travel Restrictions
• DOD Travel Restrictions Fact Sheet
• Authorized Telework Capabilities & Guidance (cleared for publication)

Recommended articles:

• It’s Time for the Defense Production Act’s Digital Transformation
• The World Is Awaking to the Ugly Realities of the Chinese Regime
• Airlines’ $120B Debt Balloon Could Reshape Commercial Aviation
• Driver Shortage Is Over Temporarily

Update from the NDTA Puget Sound Chapter
The Puget Sound Chapter of the NDTA recently released its Spring newsletter. The newsletter introduces new Chapter President LTC Bud Bittner, USA (Ret.), and shines a spotlight on chapter member LTC Jeremy Gottsall, who was recently named as a 2020 NDTA President’s Special Achievement Award winner. In addition, it provides updates and information about upcoming events, among many other topics.

How a Public-Private Partnership is Expanding America’s Capabilities

By Sharon Lo, Managing Editor, DTJ & The Source

This week NASA launched two of its astronauts into space from American soil for the first time since 2011. But what made the event truly historical was that for the first time, they did so on spacecraft owned, built, tested, and operated by commercial industry.

The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule carrying NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley lifted off May 30 at 3:22pm on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Approximately 19 hours later, the Crew Dragon docked to its destination—the International Space Station.

The launch was the second demonstration mission for SpaceX under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP). The first demo had been an uncrewed flight. The CCP represents an innovative approach to public-private partnerships for the agency. […READ MORE…]

Education

Jeff Loftus, Division Chief of the Technology Division at the US Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), presented Emerging Automated Trucking Applications during the Impacts of Advanced Vehicle Technology class at the NDTA-USTRANSCOM Fall Meeting on October 9, 2019, in St. Louis, Missouri.

The FMCSA is the regulator for the trucking and motorcoach industries, one of several surface modal agencies within DOT. Its role is to reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities involving these commercial motor vehicles (CMV).

Mr. Loftus provided a snapshot of the CMV industry. There are more than 560,000 regulated carriers in the US, of which 90-95 percent have ten vehicles or less. Collectively, these carriers travel 315 billion miles a year and employ over 6 million CMV drivers.  […READ MORE…]

Editor’s Picks

Ships! Ships! All We Need is Ships!
(War on the Rocks) The United States is at a significant crossroads in designing a future fleet to meet its maritime needs. But, the ability to project sea power must be a strategic priority for the entire government and not solely a U.S. Navy challenge to solve.

All Aboard the Sea Train!
(C4ISRNet) The current security environment has incentivized the Navy and the Marine Corps to move from a small number of exquisite, large manned platforms to a more distributed fleet structure comprised of smaller vessels, including unmanned platforms that can conduct surveillance and engage in electronic warfare and offensive operations.

CMMC Accreditation Body Close to Releasing Assessor Training Requirements
(Federal News Network) The leaked or mistakenly-made public details of the assessment and certification processes under the Defense Department’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program shed some initial bright light on the accreditation body’s (AB) thinking.

U.S. Sanctions Advisory Raises Hurdles for Global Maritime Industry
(Reuters) Ship owners and insurers say it may be impossible for the maritime industry to fully comply with the Trump administration’s new guidelines on how to avoid sanctions penalties related to Iran, North Korea and Syria, raising the risk of disruptions in a sector already struggling with the fallout of the coronavirus outbreak.

Exercise to Unite Four Combatant Commands to Test Homeland Defenses for the First Time
(Defense News) For the first time, four U.S. combatant commands are coming together this week for an exercise that simulates how the military would respond to an attack on its home turf.

5,000 National Guard Troops in 15 States and DC Activated to Help Quell Growing Civil Unrest
(Military Times) About 5,000 National Guard troops in 15 states and the District of Columbia have been activated to help quell the current unrest across the Nation. Another 2,000 Guard members are prepared to activate if needed.

The “New Normal” of Business Travel: What to Expect and How to Get Ready
(SAP Concur) What happens when shelter-in-place restrictions are eased and people head back to the office which, for road warriors, means taking to the sky? How will business travel change? SAP Concur has some answers.

CSX Honored with a 2020 Halo Award for Social Impact
(CSX) CSX’s Pride in Service initiative was recognized with Engage for Good’s 2020 Gold Halo Award for Employee Engagement. Pride in Service is a signature initiative to support and recognize military, veterans, and first responder service members and their families.

Amtrak Receives $63 Million in Grants from the FRA for Critical Northeast Corridor Infrastructure Improvements
(Amtrak) The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has awarded two Northeast Corridor (NEC) grants to Amtrak as part of its $302.6 million in the State of Good Repair grants to help repair and rehabilitate railroad infrastructure and other assets across the country for 12 projects in nine states.

The Revenue Impact of COVID-19 on Local Government
(Crowe LLP) Local government leaders are trying to keep up with the immediate needs of their communities during the COVID-19 crisis. As the new normal begins to take shape, they will also have to plan for the near- and long-term effects the coronavirus will have on budgets and the ability to deliver vital services with decreased revenues.

Echo Global Logistics CEO Waggoner Assesses Market Conditions Amid COVID-19
(Logistics Management) Doug Waggoner, CEO of Echo Global Logistics, discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the freight transportation and logistics sectors, and topics such as trucking supply and demand, and Peak Season prospects, among others.

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