The Official Newsletter of The National Defense Transportation Association
October 2, 2024
Get ready for the 2024 NDTA-USTRANSCOM Fall Meeting experience, October 7-10, in the heart of St. Louis, at the charming St. Louis Union Station Hotel. Join a group of knowledgeable government and industry professionals who will lead several engaging fireside chats, all geared towards the 2024 theme, “Accelerating Decision Advantage Across Defense Transportation & Logistics.” These sessions promise unique educational and networking opportunities for your personal and professional growth, complete with a lively Q&A with expert facilitators and presenters. Hop on board and register today! […READ MORE…]
US Dockworkers Strike, Halting Half the Nation’s Ocean Shipping
NEW YORK, Oct 1 (Reuters) – US East Coast and Gulf Coast dockworkers began their first large-scale strike in nearly 50 years on Tuesday, halting the flow of about half the country’s ocean shipping, after negotiations for a new labor contract broke down over wages.
The strike blocks everything from food to automobile shipments across dozens of ports from Maine to Texas, a disruption analysts warned will cost the economy billions of dollars a day, threaten jobs and potentially stoke inflation.
President Joe Biden and his administration have repeatedly said they will not use federal powers to end the strike, and on Tuesday pressured dockworker employers to bump up their contract offer to land a deal. The sides are talking to each other, but there was no active bargaining late on Tuesday and the strike appeared to be headed into a second day, a person briefed on the talks said.
The International Longshoremen’s Association union, which represents 45,000 port workers, had been negotiating with the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) employer group for a new six-year contract ahead of the midnight Monday deadline. […READ MORE…]
The Source
Since Hurricane Helene made landfall on Sept. 26, the Department of Defense has been in close contact with local, state, and federal partners to support and coordinate Hurricane Helene response efforts.
In North Carolina, where Hurricane Helene has brought about devastating damage and flooding, U.S. National Guardsman from Connecticut, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Ohio, New York, South Carolina, and Florida have joined more than 700 North Carolina Guardsman as part of a multi-state, multi-agency effort to deliver relief to North Carolina communities. And throughout the broader Southeast region, U.S. National Guardsmen are equipping state and local response efforts with warehousing support, high-water vehicles, law enforcement support, search and rescue, route clearance, evacuation support, and more. […READ MORE…]
FEMA HURRICANE HELENE EMERGENCY RECOVERY TOOLKIT
This toolkit provides resources for you to share with your community about recovering from Hurricane Helene.
Your Source
Military Leaders, Industry Partners Brainstorm Solutions to Logistics Challenges
The key to ensuring materiel readiness in a contested logistics environment will be expanding the scope of how and when logistics is considered, planned, and executed, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told senior logisticians at a meeting at DLA Headquarters, Sept. 12-13.
“We want to fight with an unfair advantage,” Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., said during his keynote address at the Worldwide Logistics Symposium. “We have to act like there is a crisis without the crisis … to make the changes needed now.” […READ MORE…]
Your Source
Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act Gains House Approval
The US House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) recently signed off on a bill focused on legislation focused on addressing freight fraud.
The legislation—H.R. 8505, the Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act—was introduced in May by Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) and Rep. Mike Ezell (R-MS). Its objective is to equip the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) with the necessary tools to protect consumers from fraud perpetrated by scammers in the interstate transportation of household goods, according to Holmes Norton and Ezell. […READ MORE…]
As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s recognition of Climate Week, the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) is highlighting the administration’s work – and the impact of the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – in building more resilient, sustainable, and accessible transportation systems across the country. To date, more than 60,000 transportation projects are moving forward across all parts of the country thanks to funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. […READ MORE…]
Please join NDTA in a big shout out to welcome our newest member to the Chairman’s Circle:
BR Williams
PO Box 3310
2339 Hwy. 21
Oxford, AL 36203-0310
Editor’s Picks
Army Hits Recruiting Target for the First Time in 2 Years
(MarineCorpsTimes.com) After several dismal recruiting years, Army officials announced the service has exceeded its recruiting goals for this fiscal year. Army Secretary Christine Wormuth made the announcement Wednesday that the Army had surpassed its 55,000 recruit goal for Fiscal Year 2024.
Army Awards Two Contracts to Build Cargo Robot Prototypes
(DefenseNews.com) The Army has picked American Rheinmetall Vehicles and HDT Expeditionary Systems to build prototypes of equipment-carrying robots, the service announced Tuesday. Several companies were competing to build the second increment of the service’s Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport (S-MET), robot, including General Dynamics Land Systems, an Anduril and Hanwha team, and Teledyne FLIR.
Nimitz-Class Aircraft Carrier USS Harry S. Truman Is Headed Into the ‘Danger Zone’
(NationalInterest.org) The US Navy’s USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) has been deployed to the Eastern Mediterranean as tensions in the Middle East escalate. The supercarrier’s deployment follows the recent return of USS Theodore Roosevelt and continues the US military’s strategy of maintaining a strong naval presence in the region. USS Harry S. Truman will replace USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) and provide critical support alongside other US naval forces.
First-of-its-kind Hypersonic Missile Killer Program Gets US Greenlight
(InterestingEngineering.com) The United States Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has decided to proceed with Northrop Grumman’s Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI) program, the first-of-its-kind defensive countermeasure against hypersonic missile threats. Working with the MDA for the past three years, Northrop says it has produced a design capable of defeating existing and emerging hypersonic threats.
Russian Su-35 Shown ‘Headbutting’ American F-16 At Very Close Range Off Alaska
(twz.com) North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) has posted a video of an 18th Fighter Interceptor Squadron (18th FIS) F-16C executing an intercept on a pair of Russian Tu-95MS Bear-Hs and their fighter escorts off Alaska. The video in question shows a Su-35S Flanker executing a very close-range ‘headbutting’ maneuver, M cutting in front of and across the Viper’s path. It’s the most dramatic video we have seen of such a close encounter since a B-52 crew experienced a similar incident over the Black Sea a few years ago.
F-35 to Unleash New ‘Stealth Munitions’ on Enemy Warships
(RealClearDefense.com) The US F-35 Lightning II is preparing for a more significant role, following recent tests that demonstrated the aircraft’s ability to carry the AGM-1 58C Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile or (LRASM). Designed to provide precise anti-ship capabilities, the LRASM equips the F-35 with a powerful tool for future maritime conflicts.
Air Combat Command Activates 3 Air Task Force Units
(AF.mil) Air Control Command held an Assumption of Command ceremony for three Air Task Force units of action assigned to ACC at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Sept. 23. The ceremony marked the official activation of ACC’s ATFs. ATFs are the next step the Air Force is taking toward Combat Wings as units of action to present to combatant commands.
Marine Corps Marksmanship Gets Overhaul for First Time in a Century
(TaskandPurpose.com) A major overhaul of how Marines learn to shoot and track their skills will begin to roll out across the service in the next few months, according to a Marine Corps-wide Marksmanship Campaign Plan released Monday. The Campaign plan, published by the Marine Corps Training and Education Command, sets deadlines for new training to be up and running across the force and mandates major renovations for shooting ranges that don’t yet comply with the new marksmanship standards.
Marines Get $113 Million for New Base Camp
(Newsweek.com) A joint venture between construction firms Granite and Obayashi has been awarded a contract to build new facilities at Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz in northwest Guam to support the Marine Expeditionary Force 9th Engineer Support Battalion. Construction includes erecting low-rise facilities to support the Marines, construction of an auto organization shop, an electrical/communications maintenance shop, organic storage, a vehicle wash rack, and a vehicle laydown area.
DHL and Formula 1® Take Flight with Sustainable Aviation Fuel
(DHL.com) Starting in March 2024, with cargo movements to the Australian Grand Prix, Formula 1 has been working with DHL Global Forwarding’s GoGreen Plus service to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by around 80% per flight compared to conventional aviation fuel by utilizing SAF.
(HomeSafeAlliance.com) HomeSafe Alliance has successfully completed the first 100 military moves of its modern, digitized relocation program. HomeSafe stands ready to perform its inaugural interstate moves and expand its operations to more than a dozen
new locations later this month. Once the Global Household Goods Contract (GHC) is fully phased in, HomeSafe will manage all household goods moves for United States service members, Coast Guard personnel, DOD civilians and their families.
SAP Retains #1 2023 Market Share in Travel and Expense Management Software
(Concur.com) SAP has retained its No. 1 ranking with 49.6% of 2023 market share for Travel and Expense Management Software, according to the IDC Worldwide Travel and Expense Management Software Market Shares 2023 report. This is an increase from its 2022 market share of 49.4%.
(SeaCubeContainers.com) SeaCube Containers LLC has placed an order for 3,000 units of Carrier Transicold’s advanced OptimaLINE™ refrigerated containers, making it the first major container leasing company to acquire the highly efficient systems. Carrier Transicold is part of Carrier Global Corporation global leader in intelligent climate and energy solutions.
The Source is a free educational publication for NDTA members, conference attendees, and associates.