
The Official Newsletter of The National Defense Transportation Association
October 4, 2023
NDTA and USTRANSCOM invite you to register for the 11th annual Fall Meeting at the Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Florida, October 31- November 3. We are excited to welcome Vice Admiral Andy Kyte CB, Chief of Defence Logistics and Support, who will be coming from the United Kingdom to share his experience and engage with attendees and round out this year’s theme “Advancing Power Projection with Allies and Partners.” […READ MORE…]
Your Source
HACK YOURSELF! MITRE & CISA Release Open-Source MITRE Caldera™ Extension for Operational Technology
Security teams will now be better equipped to increase resiliency of critical infrastructure. MITRE Caldera™ for OT is now publicly available as an extension to the open-source Caldera platform, allowing security teams to run automated adversary emulation exercises that are specifically focused on threats to operational technology (OT). […READ MORE…]
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman announced the rollout of the Small Business Investment Company Critical Technology (SBICCT) Initiative, a joint effort between the SBA and the Department of Defense (DoD) to increase private capital investment in critical technologies that strengthen our economic and national security. […READ MORE…]
Safeguard Ports & the Marine Transportation System
According to RDML Shannon N. Gilreath, USCG, Commander, Fifth Coast Guard District, US Coast Guard, the maritime transportation system has a value of $5.4 trillion to the US economy. There are a lot of potential threats to this valuable system. Gilreath highlighted three of these threats: The risk of physical attack (terrorism or sabotage), cyber risk, and informational warfare risk. […READ MORE...]
Editor’s Picks
PODCAST: Government Shutdown Avoided
(Defense News) The latest podcast from Defense News breaks down the last-minute deal that avoided a government shutdown and looks ahead to what we can expect next.
Navy Secretary Del Toro Calls for New ‘Maritime Statecraft’ Strategy
(gCaptain) During a speech this week at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro called for a “new maritime statecraft” strategy in the face of heightened strategic competition. In his speech, Secretary Del Toro emphasized that maritime statecraft involves not only naval diplomacy but also a comprehensive effort by the entire U.S. government, as well as allied nations, to build both commercial and naval maritime power.
ODU Supply Chain/Logistics School Approved by SCHEV
(Virginia Business) Old Dominion University’s School of Supply Chain, Logistics, and Maritime Operations was approved Wednesday by the Virginia’s higher education council. The new school will offer graduate-level courses, convene a committee to develop a strategic plan for maritime and supply chain academic and research programming, create a structure for maritime and supply chain faculty in different departments to also work within the school, and develop and administer a seed fund to promote collaborative research.
The Next Supply-Chain Challenge Isn’t a Shortage — It’s Inventory Glut
(Harvard Business Review) Inventory challenges aren’t new. Measuring inventory momentum can help leaders address the problem. It’s a forward-looking metric based on the classic momentum equation: current inventory x rate of inventory change. Once leaders understand their inventory momentum, they can take actions to reduce excess inventory, stem the rate of inventory change, and prevent the situation from happening in the future.
Army Cancels 7,500 PCS Orders to Fix Funding Error as Shutdown Looms
(Army Times) The Army has canceled thousands of previously approved permanent change-of-station orders for soldiers reporting to their new units after Nov. 1, according to personnel officials and an internal Army newsletter. The G-1 and Human Resources Command canceled the orders after recently realizing that commands had “lost track” of approximately 15,000 PCS orders approved in late 2022.
Where is FMCSA with New Regs on Speed Limiters, New-Entrant Exams, AEB?
(Heavy Duty Trucking) A flub by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration now has some people in the trucking industry speculating that the agency is planning a 68-mph top speed for mandatory speed limiters. But the 68-mph speed limit is just one of the options being considered for the supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking that the agency plans to publish before the end of the year, according to the agency.
WELCOME New NDTA Corporate Member
Please join NDTA in welcoming our newest President’s Circle member US Marine Management!
White House Appoints ARC CEO Eric Ebeling to King’s Point Board of Visitors
[American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier Group Inc. (ARC)] ARC President and CEO Eric Ebeling was appointed by President Biden to the US Merchant Marine Academy’s Board of Visitors. The Board provides independent advice and recommendations to the President, Secretary of Transportation, Congress, and Superintendent of the Academy on matters related to the state of morale and discipline, curriculum, instruction, physical equipment, fiscal affairs, academic methods of the Academy, and other Academy-related matters.
CakeBoxx and Serco Join Forces to Solve Lithium-ion Battery Challenges
(CakeBoxx) CakeBoxx Technologies and Serco Inc. have formed a technical alliance focused on the growing thermal runaway issue when transporting lithium-ion batteries on ships and aircraft. With the significant acceleration of global demand for advanced energy storage technologies, including lithium-ion batteries, the importance of proper battery handling and the consequences of mishandling have never been more pronounced. The alliance aims to pioneer cutting-edge solutions to enable the safe, secure, and efficient transportation and storage of lithium-ion batteries.
(Chapman Freeborn) Chapman Freeborn, the global air charter specialist and part of Avia Solutions Group, has partnered with WebCargo by Freightos, the leading platform for live air cargo rate distribution and bookings. WebCargo offers customers real-time airline connectivity, advanced rate management, live market rates and real-time eBooking, enabling users to book air cargo transportation in as little as 60 seconds.
(United Airlines) United has announced the launch of the United Military Pilot Program, an industry-leading program giving full-time, active-duty U.S. military pilots access to conditional job offers as a First Officer with the airline. The program is unique in that it provides a secure landing place for program participants while they complete their service to the nation and work toward meeting all United hiring requirements.
The Source is a free educational publication for NDTA members, conference attendees, and associates.