The Official Newsletter of The National Defense Transportation Association
September 25, 2024
Fall Meeting 2024 – Transportation Academy Promotion
NDTA and USTRANSCOM are preparing for the 2024 Fall Meeting, scheduled for October 7-10, 2024, at the St. Louis Union Station Hotel in St. Louis, MO. Transportation Academy will be a major highlight, offering classes to inform and engage government and industry leaders, including young professionals seeking career advancement and networking opportunities. Listen to government officials, military personnel, allies, and industry partners as they share their professional experiences, ideas, and solutions related to “Accelerating Decision Advantage Across Defense Transportation & Logistics.” […READ MORE…]
US East Coast Carriers and Rail Operators Introduce Pre-strike Restrictions
(The Load Star) With just a week before an increasingly probable US East and Gulf Coast port strike, carriers have been laying out contingency plans, including pre-emptively halting inland cargo movement and announcing new congestion-related surcharges.
Maersk said it will implement a ‘local port disruption surcharge for all cargo moving to and from the US east and Gulf coast terminals from October 21, “depending on the impact of the disruption to the supply chain,” of $1,500 per teu and $3,000 per feu.
“This surcharge is necessary to cover the higher operational costs that will be incurred due to the service disruptions,” explained the Danish carrier.
From October 19, Hapag-Lloyd will implement a Work Interruption Destination Surcharge (WID) for imports to the US east and Gulf coast from East Asia and a Work Disruption Surcharge (WDS) from the rest of the world on October 18, both at $1,000 per teu. […READ MORE…]
Your Source
Navy Announces New Strategy to Counter China
The US Navy released a new strategy designed to ensure the force is ready to meet the rising challenge from China by 2027, with efforts aimed at increasing recruitment and deploying advanced technology. The new strategy, called the Navigation Plan for America’s Warfighting Navy, will focus on overcoming hurdles in shipbuilding to accelerate construction and leverage new technologies to enhance the fleet. […READ MORE…]
Your Source
FEMA Updates its Natural Disaster Recovery Framework to Enhance Disaster Recovery
FEMA has updated the National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF) to streamline and clarify the federal government’s approach for providing disaster recovery resources and support to disaster impacted communities. The NDRF explains the federal government’s roles and responsibilities for organizing and deploying disaster recovery assistance. It also enhances effective collaboration among federal agencies and state, local, territorial government and their Tribal Nations, while informing nongovernmental partners.
The 30-day public comment period is open Sept. 24, 2024, and written comments may be submitted at fema.gov through Oct. 23, 2024. […READ MORE…]
The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced grants totaling nearly $300 million from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to expand and modernize the nation’s ferry systems. Each year, 56 million trips are made on ferries in communities across the country, supporting the movement of people and goods, boosting local economies, and helping to lower costs for families, and providing connections for Americans who, in some cases, have no other alternative travel options. […READ MORE…]
Editor’s Picks
New B-21 Bomber Now Flying Up to Twice a Week
(Air & Space Forces) The B-21 Raider bomber, which began flight testing last November, is now generating sorties as frequently as twice per week at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and ground testing of two similar aircraft is well underway, program officials said at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference. An official video of the B-21 flying for the first time was released at the conference.
US Has Accepted 36 Upgraded F-35s Since Lifting Delivery Pause
(Defense News) The US officially accepted 36 new Lockheed Martin-made F-35 Joint Strike Fighters since lifting a yearlong delivery in July, and 29 have been ferried to their new homes. Beginning in July 2023, the Pentagon refused to accept enhanced F-35s due to problems with the aircraft’s upgraded Technology Refresh 3 hardware and software. Modifications also are needed for the more expansive Block 4 package that will allow the F-35 to carry more weapons, better identify targets and conduct electronic warfare.
Lockheed Nearing Test of Sea-launched JAGM, Pitches for US and Australia
(Breaking Defense) Lockheed Martin plans to conduct a vertical launch, live fire demonstration of the Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM) next year as it rolls out a plan to evolve the munition into a family of “multi-domain missile systems,” one the company hopes to sell to the US and Australia in the future. The vertical launch system enables JAGM to be launched from medium and large surface vessels as well as tactical ground vehicles.
Credit: USMC photo by Cpl. Daniela Chicas Torres
Marines Reopen Second WWII-era Airfield to Prep for Future Combat
(Defense News) A recently refurbished World War II-era airfield is the second such site the Marine Corps has reactivated this year for air training and operations. In August, the Marine Corps announced the $28 million overhaul of the airfield at Camp Davis, North Carolina, less than 25 miles from Camp Lejeune. That move followed the service’s June recertification of an airfield on the Pacific island of Peleliu.
New Missile Allows Marine Pilots to Strike Far, Avoid Air Defenses
(Defense News) Marine fighter pilots now have a missile that can strike targets up to 230 miles away, keeping aviators out of the range of many enemy air defense systems. In late August, personnel at Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 11 and Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 232 out of Miramar, Calif., became the first to run ordnance operations with the missile — the AGM-158A — using F/A-18 Hornet aircraft.
Army Deploys to Alaska Island Amid Rise in Russian Military Activity
(Army Times) The US military has moved about 130 soldiers along with mobile rocket launchers to a desolate island in the Aleutian chain of western Alaska amid a recent increase in Russian military planes and vessels approaching American territory. Eight Russian military planes and four navy vessels, including two submarines, have come close to Alaska in the past week as Russia and China conducted joint military drills.
Navy Takes ‘Really Big Swing’ with Private Investment to Boost Sub Industrial Base
(Breaking Defense) The US Navy unveiled its “collaboration” with a private investment fund aimed at boosting America’s capacity to crank out modern submarines, in this case with an “ambitious” development of a shipyard in Alabama. The United Submarine Alliance Qualified Opportunity Fund LP, or USA Fund, purchased the 355-acre Alabama Shipyard outside Mobile “where it will prioritize US Navy maritime infrastructure investments and sustainment activities with the goal of developing an additional 75 percent of the site to support submarine production, workforce training.
AAR Corp., a leading provider of aviation services to commercial and government operators, MROs, and OEMs, and the US Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Land and Maritime signed a Supply Chain Alliance charter, formalizing a commitment to strengthening joint support of the nation’s warfighter. The charter advances a longstanding partnership between the entities and demonstrates a shared interest in enhancing responsiveness to the warfighter, customer wait time, and administrative lead time.
PODS® Expands City Service Offering to 19 Urban Areas Across the US and Canada
PODS Enterprises, LLC, is expanding its City Service program to customers in four new major cities in the United States and one Canadian metropolitan area. Recently launched cities are Atlanta, GA; Houston, TX; Minneapolis, MN; Montreal, Québec; and Tampa Bay, FL. This expansion brings the total number of urban areas served by PODS City Service to 19 across the US and Canada.
SAIC Awarded New $229 Million Contract for DoD IT Modernization
The US Department of Defense has awarded a new $299 contract to Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) to provide vital IT solutions under the NORAD/USNORTHCOM Information Technology Enterprise Services (NITES) program. SAIC will drive modernization, innovation and efficiency for the NITES program, deploying skilled professionals and solutions in IT service management, network modernization, automation of existing IT systems, cloud migration and cybersecurity.
Trailer Bridge Named Top Ocean Carrier in 2024 Quest for Quality Awards
Logistics Management’s editorial staff unveiled the results of the “41st Annual Quest for Quality Awards” where Trailer Bridge was named a top ocean carrier. The Quest for Quality award program is the only one of its kind in the transportation and logistics industry using reader ratings of carriers, third-party logistics service providers, and US port operators to determine winners.
The Source is a free educational publication for NDTA members, conference attendees, and associates.