The Official Newsletter of The National Defense Transportation Association
May 28, 2025
NDTA – CAS
Surface Force Projection Conference
Register Today!
Education, Deployment, and Sustainment Readiness are the key reasons for our meeting at the SFPC! Don’t miss this great opportunity to join the Surface Force Projection Conference (SFPC), June 10-12, 2025! […READ MORE…]
Europe’s Shipping Bottlenecks Expected to Persist into July
By Brendan Murray
Port congestion is worsening at key gateways in northern Europe and other hubs, according to a new report which suggests trade wars could spread maritime disruptions to Asia and the US and push up shipping rates.
Waiting times for berth space jumped 77% in Bremerhaven, Germany, between late March and mid-May, according to the report Friday from Drewry, a maritime consultancy in London. The delays rose 37% in Antwerp and 49% in Hamburg over the same stretch, with Rotterdam and the UK’s Felixstowe also showing longer waits. […READ MORE…]
Hegseth Orders Immediate Changes to Troops’ Household Goods Program
(Army Times) With peak military moving season in full swing, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered immediate changes to the system that moves troops’ household goods, in light of “recent deficiencies” in the performance of the new Global Household Goods Contract. That includes increasing the reimbursement rate for troops and families who decide to move all or part of their household goods themselves to 130% of what the government would have paid under the GHC contract for personally procured moves made May 15 through Sept. 30. The rate is currently 100%. […READ MORE…]
Lunday Picked to Serve as Next Coast Guard Commandant
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Wednesday that acting Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Kevin Lunday will be nominated for the permanent command role, filling the service’s top leadership post.
Noem’s announcement of Lunday’s promotion came at the Coast Guard academy graduation ceremony in Connecticut. In addition to that nomination, Adm. Thomas Allan Jr. will be tapped to serve as vice commandant. […READ MORE…]
TSA Trained to Accept Military IDs in Lieu of REAL IDs, Officials Say
(Military Times) Military-connected travelers should be able to board domestic flights simply by showing their military ID, as TSA officers are trained to accept them in lieu of a REAL ID. DOD ID cards, including those issued to dependents, are among the forms of identification listed on the TSA website as acceptable alternatives to the REAL ID. […READ MORE…]
TSA Issues Major Warning for All Airport Travelers
(Men’s Journal) The TSA warns all airport travelers not to use the USB charging ports that are often in airport terminals. “Hackers can install malware at USB ports (we’ve been told that’s called ‘juice/port jacking’). So, when you’re at an airport do not plug your phone directly into a USB port. Bring your TSA-compliant power brick or battery pack and plug in there,” the TSA wrote in its Facebook post. […READ MORE…]
Editor’s Picks
Army Eyes Cancellation of New Logistics Boat, Halting TOW Missile Buys
The Army is considering cancelling its new logistics ship and ending procurement of the Tube-launched, Optically Tracked, Wireless-guided (TOW) missile.
Both possible decisions were listed in an execute order (EXORD) from Army headquarters, dated May 7. The potential changes are part of a major service overhaul, which Secretary Daniel Driscoll this week said will “unlock” savings to “recycle” into other priorities. Driscoll said the Army Transformation Initiative (ATI) is expected to provide $48 billion in savings over the next five years.
This New Beach Landing Vessel Is Being Bought by the Marines
(The War Zone) The US Marine Corps is buying a pair of new medium landing craft from Australia-headquartered firm Birdon to help the service continue to refine its new expeditionary and distributed concepts of operations. The purchase of the two Ancillary Surface Craft-Medium (ASC-M) vessels aligns with a “bridging solution” that the Marines have been working on with the US Navy to pave the way for already much-delayed plans to acquire a fleet of larger Medium Landing Ships.
Trans-Pacific Services Set for Restart as Carriers Scramble to Restore Capacity
(Journal of Commerce) Ocean carriers are bringing suspended container services back to the trans-Pacific next month due to heavy import demand from China. Even so, capacity remains tight in the near term as some ships that once served the trans-Pacific have been redeployed to other lanes.
President Donald Trump’s temporary reprieve on reciprocal tariffs against China has meant the resumption of previously canceled ocean freight bookings, as well as likely frontloading of imports during the 90-day reprieve period, which ends Aug. 14.
Army Air Defense Systems Deploy to the Arctic, Africa for the First Time
(Army Times) The Army’s newest air defense platform recently conducted its first live fire in the Arctic alongside NATO allies while another air defense unit deployed the Avenger Air Defense System in Africa for the first time. The Sgt. STOUT vehicle, formerly known as Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense, or M-SHORAD, consists of a Stryker vehicle with mounted Stinger missiles, onboard radar and a 30mm cannon.
Trucking Company Exits Reach 12-month High
(Freight Waves) The number of trucking businesses leaving the market came in at 7,474 in April, the highest in 12 months and a 26% increase compared to March, according to ITS Logistics’ May ITS Supply Chain Report.
Ongoing volatility in the global supply chain is driving high market turnover and creating opportunities for freight fraud, according to Josh Allen, ITS Logistics’ chief commercial officer.
“Extreme turnover like we’re seeing in today’s capacity market creates an environment ripe for fraud, which is already a huge issue for shippers who don’t have an established network of trusted logistics providers,” Allen said.
Crowley’s Copán Expands Shipping Capabilities for US, Central America and Caribbean
Copán, the second vessel in Crowley’s Avance Class fleet of LNG-powered containerships, has begun its inaugural commercial operations from the Port of Jacksonville, Florida (JAXPORT), further expanding the company’s capacity and enhancing speed of ocean shipping for the Caribbean Basin.
Named for one of the most important archaeological sites of the Mayan civilization in Honduras, Copán was specifically designed to quickly and frequently deliver cargo while using lower emission liquefied natural gas (LNG) for fuel.
Enterprise Mobility Supports Tornado Recovery Efforts in St. Louis
St. Louis was struck by an EF-3 tornado last week that stretched up to a mile wide and barreled through the city with winds over 150 mph leaving a 22-mile path of wreckage in its wake. With five confirmed deaths and roughly 5,000 homes and buildings damaged, the storm caused approximately $1.6 billion in destruction.
In response to this disaster, the Enterprise Mobility Foundation has donated $250,000 to the American Red Cross and $250,000 to the United Way of Greater St. Louis to help provide shelter, food, water, supplies, health care and emotional support for residents in the affected areas.
J.B. Hunt and Eastern and Canadian Railways See Steady Intermodal Volume
The reduction in US-bound shipments from China after steep tariffs were imposed in April has yet to show up in J.B. Hunt’s intermodal volumes.
“Our volumes have been steady,” J.B. Hunt (NASDAQ: JBHT) Intermodal President Darren Field told an investor conference on Tuesday.
Importers rushed to beat tariff deadlines earlier this year, then paused shipments after tariff hikes were announced on April 2 and have resumed ordering goods from China after a 90-day pause in the trade war was announced two weeks ago. Tariffs that were as high as 145% on Chinese goods now sit at 30% — at least temporarily.
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