The Official Newsletter of The National Defense Transportation Association
March 25, 2024
Early Bird Rates End Soon – Register Now for the SFPC
Mark your calendars and register today for the Surface Force Projection Conference (SFPC) May 14-17, 2024, presented by the National Defense Transportation Association (NDTA) and the Christopher Newport University Center for American Studies (CAS). The 2024 SFPC theme “Ready Now – Contested Joint Force Deployments to & through Strategic Ports,” and agenda offer a remarkable networking platform, a unique professional development activity, and a plethora of educational sessions with government and industry keynote speakers, panelists, and a dedicated expo hall. Register now and gain access to a myriad of networking and educational opportunities that could enhance and influence your career path. […READ MORE…]
Partnership At Work: NDTA Industry Members Attend Joint Staff Command & Control Wargame
By Marty Grover, NDTA Technology Subcommittee Chairman
In early November 2023, Joint Staff J-4 (4) leaders reached out to NDTA’s Senior Vice President of Operations, Craig Hymes. Recognizing the invaluable expertise of the Association’s members, the J4 enlisted the participation of industry experts from transportation, logistics, and passenger travel to support a three-day, classified level Command and Control (C2) Support Command Relationship (COMREL) tabletop exercise (TTX) in Alexandria, Virginia. […READ MORE…]
DC Chapter to Present Maritime Industry & MARAD Sealift Program Updates
The NDTA Washington DC Chapter invites you to join them on Thursday, April 4th, to discuss MARAD Sealift Program updates, opportunities in federal shipbuilding, and challenges in the maritime industry workforce with Doug Harrington, Acting Associate Administrator for Strategic Sealift, U.S. Maritime Administration. […READ MORE…]
Biden-Harris Administration Announces New Milestone in First-of-its-Kind Supply Chain Initiative
On the second anniversary of the launch of the Freight Logistics Optimizations Works (FLOW) initiative, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) today announced that the FLOW platform has begun to publish data on inland freight hubs, including rail terminal and warehouse end destination data, that will enable FLOW members to have an enhanced view of future container import volumes and traffic. This data will help inform capacity decisions and avoid supply chain challenges, such as delays, for FLOW participants that will ultimately help lower costs for consumers. FLOW is a first-of-its-kind private-public partnership created and led by DOT that creates a more complete, shared picture of the U.S. supply chain for members, which include the nation’s busiest container ports, major ocean carriers, and some of the largest retail importers. […READ MORE…]
Editor’s Picks
Use ‘Hedge Forces’ to Break the Pentagon’s Force-Structure Death Spiral
(Defense One) After decades of pursuing ever-more-sophisticated ships and aircraft, spurred most recently by the need to pace the People’s Liberation Army, the Defense Department has fielded a force that is now too expensive to grow.
Why Houthi Attacks in the Red Sea Are Likely to Persist: They’re Popular
(The Maritime Executive) Since mid-November 2023 the shipping route through the Red Sea has been disrupted by a series of attacks on vessels by Yemen’s Houthi movement. The Houthis have presented their attacks as retaliation for Israel’s military assault in Gaza. However, even if a Gaza ceasefire were to be signed, there is a substantial likelihood that the Houthis would continue their attacks in the Red Sea.
Electrifying Trucking: $1 Trillion Needed for Infrastructure
(Transport Topics) The Clean Freight Coalition commissioned a study to gain a better sense of what the switch to full electrification would cost to inform policymakers and the public. The organization was formed to advocate for lower emissions in trucking, but in an economically effective way. The study concluded that infrastructure upgrades alone would be a nearly $1 trillion expenditure.
Technology Still Doesn’t Supply the Insights Needed for Supply Chains
(Forbes) More than three-fourths of supply chain executives are not prepared to observe and predict changes that may disrupt the flow of their business. Part of the problem is that much of it is not automated — these professionals report spending nearly 14 hours a week manually tracking data on inventory and shipments.
Northrop, DARPA Envision Moon ‘Railroad’ for Lunar Logistics
(Defense News) The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is working with Northrop Grumman to flesh out a concept for a moon-based railroad network. The envisioned network could transport humans, supplies, and resources for commercial ventures across the lunar surface.
Coast Guard Commandant Fagan Highlights Polar Security Cutters, Indo-Pacom Expansion
(USNI News) While a Polar Security Cutter was not on the Fiscal Year 2025 budget, Commandant of the Coast Guard Adm. Linda Fagan said the program was still her top acquisition priority. The Coast Guard is also looking to expand its operations in the Indo-Pacific, with an ask of $263 million to increase presence and maritime governance, according to the Coast Guard’s fact sheet on its budget request.
(SAP) As part of SAP’s ongoing initiative to build generative AI directly into the applications that power the world’s businesses, the company has announced a partnership with NVIDIA that aims to help customers adopt generative AI capabilities at scale across their organizations.
Maersk Opens New Warehouse Facility in Tijuana, Mexico for Cross-Border Capabilities
(Maersk) A.P. Moller – Maersk (Maersk) has launched a new 30,000 square metre facility for its customers in the Tijuana area, targeting cross-border trade. The new facility enjoys a strategic geographical advantage, positioned near major commercial ports, such as Los Angeles/Long Beach, California and Ensenada, Mexico. It lies just 15 km from the Otay Commercial Port, nestled between Otay Mesa (San Diego, United States) and Otay Centenario (Tijuana, Mexico). Additionally, it is 20 km away from the San Ysidro Commercial Port, which spans the border between San Ysidro, California, and Tijuana.
Leidos Establishes Air Traffic Management Office in Indo-Pacific Region
(Leidos) Leidos has announced the establishment of an Air Traffic Management (ATM) Research and Collaboration Center in Singapore to keep pace with the rapidly evolving demands of global aviation. This operational expansion is intended to deliver safe and efficient solutions to the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and Air Navigation Service Providers in the Indo-Pacific region.
Virginia Opens Wider Channel; Now Supports Two-Way Ultra-Large Container Vessel Movement
(The Port of Virginia) The Port of Virginia’s® wider shipping channel opened earlier this month for two-way passage of ultra-large container vessels (ULCV), reducing the amount of time one of the large vessels spends on berth by up to 15 percent. Widening the channel is part of the port’s $1.4 billion strategic infrastructure investment package that focuses on creating efficiency, supporting larger cargo volumes and increasing the speed of cargo moving through the gateway.
The Source is a free educational publication for NDTA members, conference attendees, and associates.