The Official Newsletter of The National Defense Transportation Association
October 9, 2024
Registration NOW Open
The National Defense Transportation Association (NDTA) and the Defense Travel Management Office (DTMO), in association with the General Services Administration (GSA), are excited to announce the opening of registration for the GovTravels Symposium 2025, February 24-27, 2025, at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center, Alexandria, VA. GovTravels is the key event where decision makers from government and industry gather to learn and collaborate on passenger travel issues. We’ve created the program with input from NDTA’s Government Passenger Travel Advisory Council (GPTAC), DTMO, GSA and travel industry representatives.
The GovTravels 2025 theme is“Change Management: Challenges & Solutions in Government Travel,”and focuses on the need for government and industry leaders to effectively manage change, employing creative and innovative solutions to provide government passengers with world class travel. The agenda includes keynote speakers and fireside chats, an exhibit hall, networking sessions, Travel Academy classes, and Young Leader events. Once again, continuing education unit (CEU) credits are available for professional certification requirements. If you work in passenger travel and related services for the federal government, a state government, or the private sector, the GovTravels Symposium 2025 is a “must-attend” event.
NDTA is also hosting a full-scale exposition where, through sponsorship and exhibiting, organizations can highlight their travel solutions and offerings, and attendees can benefit from the sharing of information. For more information, please visit our GovTravels expo page.
We look forward to your participation in February 2025. To register and view the agenda and additional information, please visit our website.
Reserve your room today for best rates
Special rates are available at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center. Visit NDTA’s website for more lodging and transportation details. […READ MORE…]
Happening Now! October 7-10
The NDTA-USTRANSCOM Fall Meeting is underway with a record-shattering 2,000+ attendees. The atmosphere is electric and overflowing with educational offerings, including keynote presentations, Transportation Academy, fireside chats, and a highly impressive exhibit hall. Networking opportunities also abound between sessions and at evening receptions.
The USTRANSCOM Joint Color Guard and national anthem kicked off Monday’s packed opening ceremony, followed by opening remarks from Mr. John Dietrich, Chairman of the Board, NDTA; VADM Willliam A. Brown, USN (Ret.), President and CEO, NDTA; and General Randall Reed, Commander, USTRANSCOM, with shout outs to NDTA’s young, senior and allied leaders, and praise for NDTA’s successful and enduring partnership with USTRANSCOM. The piece de resistance was a first-time viewing of an impactful video commemorating the 80-year history of NDTA and the DTJ.
In an inspiring keynote immediately following the opening ceremony, CMSgt Brian Kruzelnick, Command Senior Enlisted Leader (TCCC-CSEL), USTRANSCOM, commented that all the greatest minds in logistics are all here in one place!
For daily updates, follow NDTAHQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and X. Watch for the full event wrap-up in the December 2024 issue of DTJ.
Check out this special issue that commemorates the 80th anniversary of NDTA and DTJ.
Deploying from a Contested Homeland – “The Fight to Get to the Fight”
Mr. Bruce Busler, the former director of both the USTRANSCOM Joint Distribution Process Analysis Center and the SDDC Transportation Engineering Agency at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, retired in May 2024. He is recognized for his extensive contributions, thought leadership and the significant impact he made throughout his tenure. In his article, “Deploying from a Contested Homeland – The Fight to Get to the Fight,” Mr. Busler shares his keen insights. […READ MORE…]
Hurricane Milton is a Category 5. Florida Orders Evacuations and Scrambles to Clear Helene’s Debris
BELLEAIR BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Florida’s storm-battered Gulf Coast raced against a Category 5 hurricane Monday as workers sprinted to pick up debris left over from Helene two weeks ago and highways were clogged with people fleeing ahead of the storm.
The center of Hurricane Milton could come ashore Wednesday in the Tampa Bay region, which has not endured a direct hit by a major hurricane in more than a century. Scientists expect the system to weaken slightly before landfall, though it could retain hurricane strength as it churns across central Florida toward the Atlantic Ocean.
“This is the real deal here with Milton,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor told a news conference. “If you want to take on Mother Nature, she wins 100% of the time.” […READ MORE…]
Do you know what protective actions to take before, during and after a hurricane? For critical information, go to https://fema.gov
Your Source
CDAO Unveils New 10-year, $15B Advana Recompete plan — but Questions on Implementation Linger
The Pentagon’s plan for re-competing its maturing and widely used enterprise data and analytics platform — Advana — is designed around funding up to $15 billion in contracts to a diverse range of companies over the next 10 years, Chief Digital and AI Officer Radha Plumb announced on October 2 at an industry day in Virginia.
There’s still much to unravel and resolve, however, around how the overarching acquisition process will pan out and the number of vendors that might be involved, three senior CDAO officials told DefenseScoop during the event.
“You can’t just plop something this massive down and then just be like, ‘This is our strategy.’ So, we’re getting lots of feedback on it,” Garrett Berntsen, the CDAO’s deputy for mission analytics, said. […READ MORE…]
Port Strike Update
Port Strike Ends as Workers Agree to Tentative Deal on Wages and Contract Extension
US dockworkers and the United States Maritime Alliance agreed on October 3 to a tentative deal on wages and have extended their existing contract through Jan. 15, 2025, to provide time to negotiate a new contract. The move ends a strike that had snarled East Coast and Gulf Coast ports since the beginning of the week and threatened US supply of fruits, automobiles and other goods.
“The International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance, Ltd. have reached a tentative agreement on wages and have agreed to extend the Master Contract until January 15, 2025 to return to the bargaining table to negotiate all other outstanding issues,” The ILA and the USMX said in a joint statement.
ILA wages will increase 61.5% over six years under the tentative agreement, sources told CNBC. […READ MORE…]
WASHINGTON – The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced the immediate availability of $100 million in Emergency Relief funds for the North Carolina Department of Transportation to help pay for the costs of immediate emergency work resulting from Hurricane Helene flood damage.
“Working in close coordination with North Carolina, we are providing this initial round of funding so there’s no delay getting roads repaired and reopened, and re-establishing critical routes,” said US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. […READ MORE…]
Decision Advantage Information to Enable Surface Force Projection and Sustainment
How do we handle large-scale combat deployments? Mr. Tim Quillin, Director, Deployment Modernization Office, US Army, focuses entirely on improving force deployments. According to Mr. Quillin, “We are really good at rotational deployments, but when we start to do it on scale and scope with multiple divisions and cores, some of the processes we have in place will be hindrances and obstacles.”
At the 2024 Surface Force Projection Conference, he moderated a panel discussion, “Decision Advantage Information to Enable Surface Force Projection and Sustainment.” Experts in logistics and cybersecurity discussed how aligning and synchronizing information with the flow of materiel under contingency conditions can enable us to see, anticipate and act on force projections that eventually converge on a seaport.
Editor’s Picks
Navy Bounces Back, Surpasses Recruiting Goals for Fiscal Year 2024
(Navy Times) The Navy surpassed its recruiting goals for fiscal year 2024 after failing to hit its accession targets for the first time ever last year. The Navy has lagged behind the other services in attracting new recruits, and at one point projected it would miss its recruiting targets by roughly 6,700 for fiscal 2024, which ended Sept.30.
Marines to Receive New System for Zapping Drone Swarms Out of the Sky
(Marine Corps Times) Eprius, a defense company that makes high-powered microwave systems to melt drones, announced a new product iteration last week. Its long-pulse, high-power microwave technology, known as Leonidas Expeditionary, can drop swarms of drones with massive and pointed walls of electromagnetic energy. Epirus has already delivered high-powered microwave systems to the Army as part of a $66 million contract last year.
Pentagon Pressing on with F-35 Engine Upgrade
(FlightGlobal.com) The Pentagon is reaffirming its commitment to delivering an engine upgrade for the Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighter. Propulsion supplier Pratt & Whitney received a $1.3 billion contract from the US Department of Defense (DOD) to continue development work on the Engine Core Upgrade (ECU) for company’s F135 turbofan, which powers the F-35.
Philly Shipyard Cuts Steel on First of Three LNG-Fueled Containerships for Matson
(gCaptain.com) Jones Act shipbuilder Philly Shipyard, Inc. (PSI) has commenced construction on the first of three Aloha Class LNG-fueled containerships for Matson Navigation Company, Inc. The project, valued at approximately $1 billion, will see the delivery of these state-of-the-art vessels in 2026 and 2027. The new ships, measuring 854 feet (260 meters) long, will be among the largest Jones Act containerships ever built.
Navy Making Final Selection For F/A-XX Stealth Fighter, Plans For 2030s Service Entry
(Twz.com) The US Navy expects its sixth-generation fighter to enter service in the 2030s, bringing with it the ability to operate alongside drones and fly missions at long ranges — capabilities seen as essential for future conflict with China. The Navy’s ambitions mean that the service may introduce its next-generation crewed fighter before the US Air Force, which is now re-examining requirements for its new stealth combat jet.
ARC Adds M/V ARC Endeavor to US-flag Fleet.
American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier Group (ARC) announced the addition of M/V ARC Endeavor to its US-flag fleet. M/V ARC Endeavor was reflagged to American registry on September 27 as the tenth U.S.-flag roll-on roll-off (Ro-Ro) vessel in ARC’s fleet. The reflag was conducted by the US Coast Guard in the Port of Baltimore, Maryland. M/V ARC Endeavor will be the company’s fifth US-flag Large Car Truck Carrier (LCTC).
BNSF Launches New Carload Service from Pacific Northwest to Colorado and Utah
BNSF Railway launched its new express carload service from the Pacific Northwest to the fast-growing Denver and Salt Lake City markets, with speeds comparable to over-the-road options. The new service will enable BNSF customers to ship high-consumption products to key markets, including items like food and beverage, lumber, and other building materials.
Choice Hotels Opened 17 MainStay Suites and Suburban Studios Since January 2024
Choice Hotels International leads in the extended stay segment with the opening 17 MainStay Suites and Suburban Studios in Las Vegas, Nev.; Moreno Valley, Calif., and Orlando and Tampa, Fla., between January and September 2024. Sixteen of these hotels are conversions, with an average length of time of approximately 120 days between contract signing and doors opening.
Crowley Mariners Recognized with HERO Awards by American Waterways Operators
Crowley mariners were recognized by the American Waterways Operators (AWO), the leading US association for tug and barge operators, with the American Waterways Honor & Excellence in Rescue Operations (HERO) Award for helping rescue people in distress on the water in 2024. In April, mariners aboard the tugboat guard rescued a man who was knocked overboard from sailboat in waters off Anacortes, Wash. In June, the crew of the tug Apollo assisted a ship in San Francisco in rescuing a passenger who fell overboard.
Matson Begins Construction on First of Three New LNG-Powered Aloha Class Containerships
Matson, Inc., announced the start of construction on the first of three new “Aloha Class” containerships designed for its Hawaii and China-Long Beach Express (CLX) services. After a small ceremony at Philly Shipyard in Pennsylvania, the cutting of steel plates began, initiating the work to build the ships for delivery to Matson in 2026 and 2027.
From Ukraine to the U.S., StarMesh++ System Is Ready to Connect
MITRE Organization’s Quick Ukraine Response Initiative combines existing tools and technologies into the Starlink Advantage system, an affordable, portable, secure communications system that could work across the war-torn country. “This was not about building a single revolutionary new technology,” says MITRE Communications Engineer Joseph Roth. “It was about combining existing, commercially available tools to meet urgent needs.”
The Source is a free educational publication for NDTA members, conference attendees, and associates.