The Official Newsletter of The National Defense Transportation Association

October 27, 2020

NDTA Foundation Scholarship Committee

This time of year, good news arrives in a letter delivered to a special group of students studying the logistics and transportation career fields. The letter begins with the statement, “Congratulations! The NDTA Scholarship Committee has met, and you were selected to receive an NDTA Foundation Academic Scholarship ….” This is fantastic news for the recipients, their parents, and the NDTA family, but there is more goodness to this story than the award notification letter, and that begins with NDTA volunteers. 

At NDTA, volunteers form the core of our strength as an organization. It has been that way for years. NDTA has a long history, spanning over 75 years, of volunteers willing to step in and roll up their sleeves to make a difference in a variety of ways, but always because of love of country. NDTA volunteers are everywhere—they form the NDTA Board of Directors, chair and participate in our many committees, lead and support our Chapters, and they keep the wheels turning at all of our meetings and symposiums. Volunteers are just part of our DNA. They are special people who give of themselves to make NDTA the remarkable organization that it is. […READ MORE…]

Fall Meeting Proves Partnership Remains Strong Through Unprecedented Year

The NDTA-USTRANSCOM Fall Meeting took place October 5-8, 2020. While this event has taken place for several years, 2020 marked the first virtual edition of the meeting. The decision to move to a virtual platform was made due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Of course, we would prefer to be in St. Louis at the historic Hilton hotel, but we can do this, and we can still collaborate,” VADM William Brown, NDTA President & CEO, said of the decision.

The event brought together more than 1,500 attendees from government, military, and industry to learn and collaborate. The theme for the meeting was Innovative and Disruptive…2020 Vision for the Future. While chosen before the pandemic, the theme turned out to be especially appropriate for this year.

During his opening remarks, NDTA’s Chairman John Dietrich shared that as a young lawyer, he would read force majeure provisions in contracts and think the scenarios listed unlikely to occur. However, he has seen nearly all of those scenarios—national emergencies, acts of terrorism, acts of God, epidemics, quarantine restrictions, and natural disasters including fires, among others—come to fruition during his career. […READ MORE…]

National Defense Strategy Annex Emphasizes the Importance of Irregular Warfare

The 2018 National Defense Strategy (NDS) provides a roadmap for how the Joint Force in an increasingly complex global environment. Most notably, the strategy underscored the threat of great power competition from near-peer competitors, such as China and Russia. In an NDS summary, Department of Defense (DOD) objectives state, “Long-term strategic competitions with China and Russia are the principal priorities for the Department, and require both increased and sustained investment, because of the magnitude of the threats they pose to US security and prosperity today, and the potential for those threats to increase in the future.”

But great power competition doesn’t mean we should expect and prepare for conventional warfare between two or more superpowers. A recent article from The Hill entitled Irregular warfare with China, Russia: Ready or not, it’s coming—if not already here, calls conventional warfare obsolete. Instead, it says, “We should expect China and Russia to come after us with irregular-war strategies, avoiding a conventional fight.” […READ MORE…]

Editor’s Picks

Cyber Solarium Commission Outlines Recommendations for Strengthening the Supply Chain
(C4ISRNet) On the heels of its capstone March report, the Cyberspace Solarium Commission has released a detailed follow-up with recommendations for how to secure the information and communications technologies supply chain.

$20 Billion Plan to Outsource Management of Military Household Moves Hits Roadblock
(Military Times) The government’s plan to outsource its management of military household goods moves hit a major roadblock after the Government Accountability Office decided in favor of two protesters of the contract, which had a potential cost of $19.9 billion over nine years.

FMCSA ‘Struggling’ with Under-21 CDL Pilot for Military Vets
(FreightWaves) At a recent American Trucking Associations conference, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Chief Wiley Deck reveals a lack of participation in a program meant to address a shortfall of drivers entering the trucking industry is forcing regulators to adjust.

Military to Play Logistics-Only Role in COVID-19 Vaccine Effort
(DOD News) US military personnel won’t be administering any COVID-19 vaccines to the American people once the vaccines are approved for use. But the US military will lend it’s experienced hand in logistics to ensure the vaccine is available across the nation.

NSA Warns Companies China is Exploiting 25 Unpatched Vulnerabilities
(Breaking Defense) In a warning sent this week, the National Security Agency warned companies that 25 already known exploits were being used by state-based intelligence services, including China’s, and should be patched as soon as possible.

IMO’s Draft CO2 Amendment Stirs Controversy
(The Maritime Executive) This week, the International Maritime Organization’s Intersessional Working Group on Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Ships produced a draft of a new MARPOL amendment addressing shipping’s carbon emissions, and it is expected to be approved at the next Marine Environment Protection Committee meeting. If it passes at MEPC 75 (November 16-20) and MEPC 76 (mid-2021), it would be the first binding regulation that IMO has adopted pursuant to its 2018 “Initial Strategy” on greenhouse gas emissions.

Local School Districts Look to Crowley for Mask Solutions
(Crowley) Crowley Solutions has expanded its pandemic response capabilities to meet the needs of small-scale government users, including school districts, for personal protective equipment (PPE), such as certified high-quality masks.

It’s Not Every Day That a Cargo Charter Involves a Helicopter Landing in a Car Park
(Chapman Freeborn) Earlier this month, the Chapman Freeborn broker team in Germany, received an urgent cargo inquiry to transport a delicate 600kg package, which turned out to be a very unique operation.

Wyndham Honors Military Members with Special Savings, 1 Million Point Match
(Wyndham Hotels & Resorts) Wyndham is once again saying thank you to those who serve, offering special savings on upcoming stays and matching Wyndham Rewards® point donations to its preferred military non-profit partners.

ARC RESOLVE Delivers Armored Vehicles to Brazil
(American Roll-on Roll-off Carrier) ARC’s M/V ARC Resolve discharged thirty Armored Command Post Carrier vehicles and accompanying accessories recently at the port of Paranagua, Brazil. The armored vehicles moved on ARC’s North America-South America service and will be used by the Brazilian Army.

New Technology Joint Venture to Transform Rail Shipping
(Norfolk Southern) Today Norfolk Southern, GATX Corporation, Genesee & Wyoming, TrinityRail, and Watco announced a venture to create a new technology platform that will help transform rail shipping in the 21st century. The new venture, Rail Pulse, will facilitate and accelerate the adoption of GPS and other telematics technology across the North American railcar fleet.

The Source is a free educational publication for NDTA members, conference attendees, and associates.