The Official Newsletter of The National Defense Transportation Association
June 25, 2026
NDTA–USTRANSCOM FALL MEETING
Register Today
October 26-29, 2026
Register today for the 14th annual NDTA–USTRANSCOM Fall Meeting, October 26-29, 2026, at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center. Join government, military, and industry partners at this welcoming venue to learn, share ideas, find solutions and explore this year’s theme: “Delivering Hope, Projecting Lethality — Theater to Globe.” The Fall Meeting includes general sessions, meetings, an expo hall, and Transportation Academy. Transportation Academy offers more than 60 classes covering relevant logistics and transportation topics designed to promote professional development, training, and education. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) will be available for registrants attending the full program. Learn more on the registration page. […READ MORE…]
Your Source
(www.transportation.gov) U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy toured Reliable Robotics (pictured) at Albuquerque International Sunport to see how this American innovator is unlocking the future of flight. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) selected Reliable Robotics in March to participate in the Department’s Advanced Air Mobility Integration Pilot Program (eIPP), a first-of-its-kind program for testing autonomous regional cargo aircraft. […READ MORE…]
Your Source
Executive Orders Seek to Hasten Quantum Computing — and Guard Against its Use
By Alexandra Kelley
(www.defenseone.com) Two executive orders signed Monday seek to accelerate development of practical quantum computers while strengthening U.S. security against emerging quantum threats. “Innovation and security have to be balanced,” said National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross. One order launches a national initiative to advance quantum computing and sensing, including creation of a Department of Energy-based Quantum Computer for Application Development and Discovery Science Effort. Additional measures support supply chains, workforce development, and public-private and international partnerships. […READ MORE…]
Military Sealift Command Takes Lessons from Iran War
In this video, Rear Admiral Benjamin Nicholson, Commander of the U.S. Navy Military Sealift, discusses facing the issues in supply lines with an enemy as sophisticated as Iran. The Military Sealift Command is fast learning lessons in contested logistics. […WATCH HERE…]
DISASTER READINESS & PREPARATION
Stay Connected When It Matters Most!
Reliable communications are essential during emergencies and periods of network congestion. The Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS), managed by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), provides authorized users with priority access to the public telephone network, helping critical calls get through when conventional communications may be overloaded.
Download the GETS Fact Sheet and related information below to learn how this vital capability supports national security, emergency preparedness, and mission continuity. GETS subscribers receive priority treatment — your calls are likelier to go through the network. Use GETS for any emergency or important call. (Most transportation service providers qualify for the GETS WPS and TSP services.)
- GETS Fact Sheet– An overview of GETS and its benefits
- GETS User Guide– A user guide for GETS that includes dialing instructions for specific call scenarios
- GETS and WPS Wallet Guide– A wallet guide with dialing instructions for GETS and WPS
For more information, go to https://www.cisa.gov/about-pts and https://www.gwids.cisa.gov/GETSwelcome/
Fair Winds, INDOPACOM: Pentagon Returns Command Name to U.S. Pacific Command
Another Pentagon-led name change was unveiled Tuesday, when it was announced that the military’s U.S. Indo-Pacific Command would be dropping “Indo” from its name and reverting back to the long used U.S. Pacific Command, or USPACOM.
The move, according to a Pentagon release, “honors the command’s deep historical roots, fostering a sense of pride and collective spirit among all who serve in the Pacific.” […READ MORE…]
NDTA Europe & Africa Regional Committee Networking Dinner
8 July 2026, Luxembourg
The NDTA Europe & Africa Regional Committee is excited to announce and host a networking dinner on 8 July 2026, the evening before NATO Support & Procurement Agency’s (NSPA) Transportation Industry Day, in Luxembourg. Last year, this event was an enormous success with more than 90 people, including many of the attendees from across the commercial transportation industry and NATO member governments and militaries will also attend the NDTA event.
Location: 1 Rue Nicolas VA Werveke, L-2725 Hollerich, Luxembourg @1800 onwards
Registration and Sponsorship – Click Here
POWERING THE FUTURE OF MILITARY MOBILITY
August 26-27, 2026
Mission Training Complex (MTC)
Fort Hood, Texas
Military Community Engagement Event
Wednesday, August 26
Join us for a complimentary military networking event at the MTC before the NDTA Texas Regional Meeting starts on August 27. Here, you can connect with service members and military families with industry partners, educational institutions, veteran-focused organizations, and career transition services. Registration is not required to participate.
2026 NDTA Texas Regional Meeting
Thursday, August 27
The 2026 NDTA Texas Regional Meeting, hosted collaboratively at the MTC by the NDTA Texas Chapters, will bring together military leaders, government agencies, transportation professionals, and industry partners to discuss military mobility, logistics, infrastructure, and innovation. The event will highlight modernization efforts, emerging technologies, transportation operations, and public-private partnerships that support mission readiness across Texas and beyond.
Registration is required to attend this meeting. For information regarding registration, speakers, sponsorship opportunities, and agenda topics, click here.
Editor’s Picks
Army Picks Anduril to Lead Next Gen C2 Common Data Layer Baseline
(breakingdefense.com) The Army today announced Anduril will lead its common data layer baseline for its Next Generation Command and Control (NGC2) effort, marking the first major contract award as the service moves beyond the prototype.
Anduril, with Palantir, will provide an edge-to-cloud data mesh via Anduril’s Lattice and Palantir’s Foundry, along with associated software deployment tools.
Army’s Newest Unit Aims to “Overwhelm” Adversary with Drones in Pacific Fight
(www.twz.com) On Thursday, U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC) stood up a new command to speed up reaction times and sustain operations within the anti-access/area denial environments of the Pacific. To help achieve that goal, Maj. Gen. Bernard J. Harrington, the commander of this new unit, told TWZ he wants to be able to saturate any future adversary with so many drones they have trouble operating.
NATO Has ‘Changed a Lot’ in Four Years, Transformation Leader Says
(www.defenseone.com) NATO is shifting from slow, platform-centric modernization to rapid experimentation, interoperability, and integrated “system-of-systems” capabilities, said Maj. Gen. Dominique Luzeaux, NATO’s digital transformation champion. Speaking at the Defense One Tech Summit, he cited Ukraine’s extensive use of unmanned systems as evidence that success depends not on individual drones, but on a coordinated, multi-domain robotic ecosystem deploying the right capabilities in the right place and time.
U.S. Army Tests Autonomous Boats During Philippine Exercise
(www.militarytimes.com) Autonomous boats helped escort a U.S. Army vessel during a recent military exercise, the Army said, in a demonstration of how uncrewed assets are changing maritime operations.
Soldiers from the 125th Intelligence and Electronic Warfare Battalion, 25th Infantry Division, deployed unmanned surface vessels, or USVs, in Casiguran Sound Bay, during an exercise with the Philippine Army. The USVs deployed ahead of a U.S. Army Logistics Support Vessel, or LSV, as it neared Casiguran port.
(news.usni.org) The Philippine Navy received four U.S.-funded Ocean Aero Triton autonomous underwater and surface vehicles, marking the latest delivery under Washington’s drone-focused security assistance program. The initiative aims to strengthen Manila’s asymmetric capabilities for monitoring and deterring Chinese activity in the South China Sea. U.S. plans call for providing the Philippines with additional “lethal capabilities,” including armed drones, by 2027.
Doorstep Grocery Delivery Expanding to All U.S. Commissaries
(www.marinecorpstimes.com) Eligible customers will soon have access to doorstep delivery from all 178 commissaries in the United States. The service, through the Commissary Click2Go program, has been offered at 70 commissary locations since January. The service will be available to customers living within a 20-mile radius of their commissary.
BNSF Wins Local Approval for New $4B California Rail Intermodal Project
(www.freightwaves.com) The Barstow (Calif.) City Council has approved a proposed $4 billion intermodal hub BNSF Railway says is a key component for the future of freight moving into and out of the Southern California port complex, the nation’s busiest.
The Barstow International Gateway will cover 4,500 acres and create capacity for 60 trains in the high desert east of Los Angeles.
Pasha Hawaii Recognized at CSA’s Annual Devlin and Safety Achievement Awards
(www.pashagroup.com) Pasha Hawaii was recognized for consistently making safety a priority at the Chamber of Shipping of America (CSA)’s 58th Annual Devlin and Safety Achievement Awards on May 4, 2026, in New Orleans. 39 companies and several VIPs attended the event to celebrate seafarers and companies of 1,157 vessels with 8,075 years of operation without a lost time incident.
(www.up.com) Marking a milestone in innovation and collaboration, Union Pacific Railroad on Tuesday unveiled its newest commemorative locomotive with Northrop Grumman and Wabtec, as No. 4547 began its first mission hauling Space Launch System solid rocket motor segments for NASA’s Artemis III lunar exploration program. No. 4547 is the third in the Presidential Locomotive Series.
UPS Invests $50M in North American Logistics for Manufacturers
(www.supplychainbrain.com) UPS is putting nearly $50 million into its logistics network capabilities to enhance service to automotive and industrial manufacturers in the U.S. and Mexico. UPS will expand its North American air freight capabilities by introducing time-definite heavy air freight service to and from Mexico for the first time.
The Source is a free educational publication for NDTA members, conference attendees, and associates.