The Official Newsletter of The National Defense Transportation Association
October 3, 2025
NDTA-USTRANSCOM Fall Meeting Cancelled
NDTA will provide a full refund to all registered attendees. Registration refund details and instructions for cancelling hotel reservations as soon as possible to avoid cancellation fees are listed on the NDTA Website.
NDTA looks forward to planning the 2026 NDTA -USTRANSCOM Fall Meeting at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center, October 26 – 29, 2026. Stay tuned for registration dates in the spring of 2026.
Register Today
February 23 – 26, 2026
The National Defense Transportation Association (NDTA), in association with the Defense Travel Management Office (DTMO) and the General Services Administration (GSA), is hosting the 2026 GovTravels February 23-26, 2025, at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center, Alexandria, VA.
GovTravels is a four-day event that brings together bringing together experts from across the federal government and the commercial travel industry to examine a wide range of issues that impact the government’s multi-billion dollar travel enterprise. During this event we educate and train DoD travel managers on best practices and strategies, allow government program administrators to learn more about emerging technologies, exchange ideas and collaborate on travel issues, identify & capture actions and build relationships among government and industry commercial travel experts[…READ MORE…]
Department of War Announces New Cybersecurity Risk Management Construct
The Department of War (DoW) announced the implementation of a groundbreaking Cybersecurity Risk Management Construct (CSRMC), a transformative framework to deliver real-time cyber defense at operational speed. This five-phase construct ensures a hardened, verifiable, continuously monitored, and actively defended environment to ensure that U.S. warfighters maintain technological superiority against rapidly evolving and emerging cyber threats. […READ MORE…]
SDDC Changes Name to U.S. Army Transportation Command
By Christopher Parr
The Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC) redesignated as the U.S. Army Transportation Command (ARTRANS), marking a historic shift in the command’s 60-plus-year legacy of global deployment and distribution operations.
The name change, approved September 24, 2025, by Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll, better reflects the command’s responsibilities and authorities while aligning the organization’s title with the Army’s broader naming conventions.
The renaming to ARTRANS provides greater clarity and consistency with other Army service component commands within other functional combatant commands. […READ MORE…]
New Pentagon Strategy to Focus on Homeland, Western Hemisphere
(Defense News) The Pentagon’s top national security focus will mirror that of President Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda, with multiple U.S. officials telling Military Times that the department will prioritize protecting the homeland and the Western Hemisphere.
Countering China will remain a key national security interest of the new National Defense Strategy, which is expected to be released soon, officials said. […READ MORE…]
Global Maritime Forum Warns Industry Risks Leadership Crisis without Diversity Forum
By Mike Schuler
(gCaptain.com) A comprehensive new report from the Global Maritime Forum reveals how outdated norms and exclusionary practices are preventing the maritime sector from realizing its full leadership potential at a time when the industry faces a projected shortage of 90,000 trained officers by 2026.
The “Diversifying Maritime Leadership” report, based on 108 in-depth interviews with maritime leaders working both at sea and on shore, identifies three major barriers to leadership diversity. […READ MORE…]
ABS Chairman and CEO Unveils Vision for Intelligent Maritime Operations
(gCaptain.com) The transformational impact of software on the performance of vessels and fleets was described by ABS Chairman and Chief Executive Christopher J. Wiernicki at a launch event in Greece for ABS Wavesight Advantage™, a new intelligent platform.
“In an industry where every ton and every ton-mile counts, ABS Wavesight Advantage puts the Power of One in your corner. What does that mean in practice? One percent of fuel savings through software-driven performance efficiencies delivers payback five times faster than retrofits,” said Wiernicki. […READ MORE…]
USAF Must Focus Maintainers on Key Planes as Readiness Suffers: Meink
(Defense News) The U.S. Air Force must focus its limited maintenance resources on aircraft that are capable of surviving in a contested environment, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said at the Air & Space Forces Association’s Air Space Cyber Conference. He highlighted the Service’s lackluster aircraft readiness as one of its major challenges. “We have some of the best aircraft,” Meink said, citing the F-22 and F-35 fighters and the B-2 bomber as examples.
The scope of the readiness challenge “surprised me a bit,” Meink said. “I knew there was a readiness challenge, but I didn’t appreciate how significant that readiness challenge was.” […READ MORE…]
Editor’s Picks
Anduril Nears First Drone Wingman Flight, Promises Early Autonomy
(Defense News) Anduril is weeks away from flying its proposed U.S. Air Force collaborative combat aircraft for the first time. The company is working to ensure its drone wingman will be semiautonomous from takeoff. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said that Anduril’s collaborative combat aircraft, or CCA, will take its first flight in mid-October.
Air Force Considering ‘Every Option’ for Sixth-Gen Tanker, AMC Commander Say
(DefenseScoop) The Air Force is assessing the full range of possibilities for what it wants its sixth-generation tanker aircraft to look like. The service has gone back and forth on its plans for the platform — known as the Next Generation Air-refueling System (NGAS) — since the program’s inception in 2023. The aircraft was envisioned as a low-observable, stealthy tanker that could refuel other aircraft in contested environments. But a combination of competing high-value programs and the health of the Air Force’s current tanker fleet have shrouded NGAS in uncertainty.
C-17 and C-5 Cargo Planes Will Be Replaced with One Aircraft: USAF
(TWZ.com) The U.S. Air Force is looking toward a single next-generation airlifter to supplant both the C-17A Globemaster III and the C-5M Galaxy, starting in the mid-2040s. The service is in the early stages of formulating its requirements for a Next Generation Airlift (NGAL) platform and with an emphasis on greater speed and operational flexibility, as well as the ability to better defend against growing threats when on the ground and in the air.
Lockheed Martin Delivers 21 Satellites for Next Launch of U.S. Military ‘Transport Layer’
(SpaceNews) The Space Development Agency (SDA) is gearing up for its second launch of satellites for the Transport Layer Tranche 1 program. SDA is building out a low Earth orbit (LEO) mesh network for global military communications and missile defense.
Gurpartap “GP” Sandhoo, acting director of SDA, confirmed that 21 satellites built by Lockheed Martin are on track to launch in October from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California.
To ‘Harmonize’ Better: Air Force Developing New Defensive Cyber Campaign
(Breaking Defense) The Air Force’s primary cyber unit is developing a new strategy to better synchronize the work of different groups of cyber defenders, with a particular focus on critical infrastructure and networks, according to the unit’s commander.
“Prior to this, we’ve always looked at them [cybersecurity teams] in separate missions, but they’re really doing the same thing in a different way. We want to harmonize that better,” said Lt. Gen. Thomas Hensley, commander of 16th Air Force.
Bus-Sized Uncrewed Airship Being Tested by NATO as Maritime Surveillance Platform
(TWZ.com) An uncrewed hydrogen-powered autonomous surveillance airship the size of a small bus has been floating over Portuguese waters, collecting imagery of ships and other objects. The goal of these test flights is to see if this airship can provide NATO with situational awareness of the maritime domain.
The Coast Guard Invests $350 Million in Robotics Tech
(gCaptain.com) The U.S. Coast Guard has announced a major $350 million investment in robotics and autonomous systems aimed at enhancing mission execution and operational capabilities across its fleet. This significant funding comes through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), with $11 million allocated for immediate upgrades to critical autonomous systems in fiscal year 2025.
(Travel and Tour World) Corporate Travel Management (CTM) has unveiled the enhanced Sleep Space hotel platform for the market of North America, marking its first step in an aggressive global expansion strategy. This platform gives corporate travelers direct access to hotel rooms, eliminating the exorbitant markups from third-party bookers. With North American expansion, booked rooms surpass the 900,000 threshold and are available via CTM Lightning. Targeted markets include New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, London, Mexico City, and Paris.
Echo Global Opens Monterrey Office Amid US-Mexico Trade Boom
(FreightWaves) Echo Global Logistics has opened a new office in Monterrey, Mexico, strengthening its cross-border presence as U.S.-Mexico trade continues to grow at a steady pace. The Chicago-based 3PL already operates facilities in Mexico City and Guadalajara, along with a major site in Laredo, Texas. The Monterrey office is the company’s latest step in supporting shippers and carriers with customs brokerage, warehousing, and multimodal services.
United Cargo and CargoAi Partner to Expand Digital Connectivity in Airfreight
(United Cargo) United Cargo and CargoAi have formed a strategic partnership to expand digital connectivity in the airfreight industry. The integration makes United Cargo’s domestic and international capacity available on CargoAi’s platform, where more than 23,000 freight forwarders can access real-time rates, bookable capacity, and eBooking for General Cargo and Express services.
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