Defense Transportation Journal by Defense Transportation Journal

The Official Publication of the National Defense Transportation Association

April 2021

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The Travel Issue

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Enterprise CEO Jack Taylor (back row, far right) and fellow Navy pilots during WWII

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April 2021

FEATURES April 2021

•

Vol 77, No. 2

PUBLISHER

VADM William A. Brown, USN (Ret.) MANAGING EDITOR

Sharon Lo | slo@cjp.com CIRCULATION MANAGER

Leah Ashe | leah@ndtahq.com PUBLISHING OFFICE

NDTA 50 South Pickett Street, Suite 220 Alexandria, VA 22304-7296 703-751-5011 • F 703-823-8761

TSA CONTINUES TO ENSURE SAFETY OF TRAVELERS AS FLIGHTS INCREASE ONE YEAR INTO PANDEMIC

By Mike Frandsen and Don Wagner

A LESSON IN DETERMINATION FROM DULUTH TRAVEL

By Sharon Lo

THE NDTA-DTMO GOVTRAVELS WRAP-UP

GRAPHIC DESIGN & PRODUCTION MANAGER

Debbie Bretches

www.n

The S /the-source ource NDTA’s Officia lN

Bob Schotta bschotta@cjp.com

Defense Transportation Journal (ISSN 0011-7625) is published bimonthly by the National Defense Transportation Association (NDTA), a non-profit research and educational organization; 50 South Pickett Street, Suite 220, Alexandria, VA 22304-7296, 703-751-5011. Copyright by NDTA. Periodicals postage paid at Alexandria, Virginia, and at additional mailing offices.

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DEPARTMENTS CYBERSECURITY LESSONS FROM THE FIELD | Ted Rybeck........................................ 6 PRESIDENT’S CORNER | VADM William A. Brown, USN (Ret.)....................................... 7 FROM HQ | George Brooks..................................................................................27 CHAIRMAN’S CIRCLE.......................................................................................28 HONOR ROLL..................................................................................................29 WELCOME | Claudia Ernst..................................................................................30 INDEX OF ADVERTISERS.................................................................................... 30

SUBSCRIPTION RATES: One year (six issues) $40. Two years, $60. Three years, $75. To foreign post offices, $45. Single copies, $6 plus postage. The DTJ is free to members. For details on membership, visit www.ndtahq.com. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Defense Transportation Journal 50 South Pickett Street, Suite 220 Alexandria, VA 22304-7296

We encourage contributions to the DTJ and our website. To submit an article or story idea, please see our guidelines at www.ndtahq.com/media-and-publications/submitting-articles/.

NDTA Headquarters Staff VADM William A. Brown, USN (Ret.) President & CEO COL Craig Hymes, USA (Ret.) Senior VP Operations Patty Casidy VP Finance Claudia Ernst Director, Finance and Accounting Lee Matthews VP Marketing and Corporate Development Annie Keith Operations Manager

CYBERSECURITY LESSONS FROM THE FIELD When and Why Will US Cybersecurity Resilience Get Better? By Ted Rybeck Chair, Benchmarking Partners, & Chair, NDTA Cybersecurity Best Practices Committee

Leah Ashe Membership Manager Rebecca Jones Executive Assistant to the President & CEO

This series of articles will draw on real cases of companies as an amalgam under the name DIB-Co. Each edition will include micro-case installments of how the company transformed itself. On this journey, DIB-Co will go from being unaware that they were part of the Defense Industrial Base to

For a listing of current Committee Chairpersons, Government Liaisons, and Chapter & Regional Presidents, please visit the Association website at www.ndtahq.com. EDITORIAL OBJECTIVES The editorial objectives of the Defense Transportation Journal are to advance knowledge and science in defense logistics and transportation and the partnership between the commercial transportation industry and the government transporter. DTJ stimulates thought and effort in the areas of defense transportation, logistics, and distribution by providing readers with: • News and information about defense logistics and transportation issues • New theories or techniques • Information on research programs • Creative views and syntheses of new concepts • Articles in subject areas that have significant current impact on thought and practice in defense logistics and transportation • Reports on NDTA Chapters EDITORIAL POLICY The Defense Transportation Journal is designed as a forum for current research, opinion, and identification of trends in defense transportation and logistics. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily of the Editors, the Editorial Review Board, or NDTA.

recognizing that dozens of their customers were suppliers to the iconic giants of US defense logistics.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• US Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) and the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) need more Defense Industrial Base (DIB)-wide support and transparency as part of any systemic improvement. • NDTA will stay on the forefront as an education-focused association, but any public/private effort requires joint mobilization by the Departments of Defense (DOD), Homeland Security (DHS), and Transportation (DOT), among others. When NDTA’s Cybersecurity Best Practices Committee gathered in the Spring of 2015 at the US National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC), the group grappled with the increasing threat to the DIB, and to industry overall, starting with the kill chain analysis of the 2013 Target breach and other attacks around that time. Former USTRANSCOM Chief Information Officer, Brig Gen Greg Touhill, USAF (Ret.), co-led the session as the NC-

CIC’s Director. Soon after the session, Brig Gen Touhill went on to become the nation’s first US Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) in 2016. The function of that role was to support all 300,000 members of the DIB, as well as the 30 million small and local companies like “DIB-Co.” During each of the five subsequent years, the frequency and severity of attacks continued to accelerate at a disturbing pace projected by those 2015 military and private sector participants. Meanwhile, an entire industry of cryptocurrency exchanges has grown up to facilitate ransomware and other anonymized financial transactions without any “know your customer” regulations. In contrast, momentum has yet to get underway for aggregate US threat prevention, best practice sharing, and upskilling initiatives by the DIB or the small and local civilian businesses that support them. If the never-ending race to stay ahead of new cyberattacks were viewed as a dangerSee Cybersecurity pg. 26

EDITORIAL CONTENT Archives are available to members on www.ndtahq.com. Sharon Lo, Managing Editor, DTJ NDTA 50 South Pickett Street, Suite 220 Alexandria, VA 22304-7296 703-751-5011 • F 703-823-8761 slo@cjp.com

| Defense Transportation Journal | APRIL 2021

“Our missions grow and new ones are added without a proper matching of increased resources to the resultant mission profile. Sound familiar?” — ADM Jim Loy on the challenge of being Always Ready - Semper Paratus.

PRESIDENT’S CORNER Working the Issues VADM William A. Brown, USN (Ret.) NDTA President & CEO

hope this edition of the DTJ finds you and yours healthy and optimistic about 2021. As more and more people benefit from COVID-19 vaccinations, we hope the conditions allow us to participate in an in-person event for the NDTA-USTRANSCOM Fall Meeting in mid-October 2021. We recently virtually held our annual GovTravels Symposium, sponsored by NDTA and the Defense Travel Management Office (DTMO). There was much discussion as to what the future will bring in terms of business and government travel. The CEO of United Airlines, Scott Kir-

by, was one of our keynotes. He predicted people will want to get back to traveling for business soon, while recognizing significant change has occurred and society’s ability to hold virtual meetings has now dramatically improved. Like him, I predict I will travel commercially this year. There will probably be weather problems, delays, and the sort of travel hurdles that make it painful to travel, but when asked how it went, I will say, “It was the best trip ever!” Enjoy this issue looking at GovTravels. There are lots of issues on the table these days for industry: vaccinations for transportation and logistics workers; port

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| Defense Transportation Journal | APRIL 2021

TSA Continues to Ensure Safety of Travelers as Flights Increase One Year into Pandemic By Mike Frandsen and Don Wagner, TSA Strategic Communications and Public Affairs

ore than one year into the checkpoint enhancements to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, spread of COVID-19, comply with CDC the Transportation Secuguidelines, and support healthy and serity Administration (TSA) cure travel. Since the beginning of the remains vigilant in mainpandemic, TSA has required employees to taining world-class security while doing social distance, wear masks, and frequently everything possible to prevent the spread of wash hands and disinfect surfaces. Keeping the virus. The pandemic that has profoundpassengers secure while minimizing health ly impacted all of our lives has affected the risks is a massive undertaking but has been way TSA provides security. a big success. After a massive decrease in air travel As spring break and summer vacation during the initial lockdown a year ago, plans become more top of mind, TSA rethe number of flights to and from US airminds travelers to follow the CDC travel ports is steadily increasing. More people guidance, as well as local and state COare getting vaccinated, while new cases VID-19 advisories. All airline travelers of COVID-19 continue to fall nationmust wear face masks and social distance ally. However, while the throughout the travel pandemic shows signs experience. For more of subsiding, the Ceninformation, see TSA’s ters for Disease Control What to Know Before TSA’s “Stay Healthy. Stay and Prevention (CDC) You Go website. Secure.” campaign highlights has identified new COWhile security is VID-19 variants, the efTSA’s top priority, the the agency’s airport fects of which won’t be agency remains comcheckpoint enhancements known for a while. mitted to the health and to contain the spread of TSA has made sigsafety of the traveling COVID-19, comply with CDC nificant changes to public. TSA’s enhancethe screening process ments to make the seguidelines, and support during these challengcurity screening process healthy and secure travel. ing times to fulfill its safer are expected to critical security mission remain in place for the and keep the traveling foreseeable future. public safe. The agency is making sure the passenger experience reSOCIAL DISTANCING mains as smooth as possible through stateIn response to the pandemic, TSA increased of-the-art technology, stringent health and social distancing and reduced direct consafety procedures, and programs like TSA tact between employees and the traveling PreCheck, which saves passengers time public whenever possible—without comand eases the screening process. promising security. TSA increased the distance between passengers as they enter the STAY HEALTHY. STAY SECURE. security checkpoint queue and throughout TSA’s “Stay Healthy. Stay Secure.” camthe screening process. Visual reminders of paign highlights the agency’s airport appropriate spacing can be seen throughwww.ndtahq.com |

CLEANING AND DISINFECTING

TSA has procedures in place to ensure the cleanliness of commonly touched surfaces. We have increased the frequency and intensity of cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces throughout the checkpoint, such as security screening equipment and bins. MORE TOUCHLESS TECHNOLOGY

Cutting-edge technology continues to be a major priority for TSA. Here are just a few examples of technologies that are changing the way the agency does business by reducing contact between passengers and officers. • Computed Tomography produces high-quality, 3D images for a more thorough visual analysis of a bag’s contents, lessening the number of bag searches required by officers. • Advanced Imaging Technology includes improved algorithms that safely screen passengers without physical contact for threats that may be hidden under a passenger’s clothing. • Credential Authentication Technology (CAT) automatically verifies identification (ID) documents during the screening process. Self-service CAT machines allow passengers to scan their own ID rather than handing it to the TSA officer. out the checkpoint. TSA also opened more checkpoint lanes where possible to reduce waiting times and create social distancing. “We’ve placed more officers at our checkpoints than we otherwise would, given the lower passenger volumes, to ensure travelers are able to move quickly through the screening process,” said Jim Gregory, TSA Deputy Assistant Administrator for Strategic Communications and Public Affairs. “We know travelers want to be assured they are safe every step of their trip, and we want to do what we can to help restore traveler confidence.” REDUCED PHYSICAL CONTACT

TSA placed acrylic barriers throughout the checkpoint in areas where passengers and TSA ofﬁcers frequently interact. To 10

| Defense Transportation Journal | APRIL 2021

protect both passengers and TSA officers, travelers should keep possession of their boarding pass, place it on the document scanner, and show the boarding pass to the TSA officer for visual inspection while at the travel document checking station. PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT

TSA officers are required to wear face masks and gloves and may choose to wear eye protection or clear plastic face shields. Face shields are also required for all employees in close contact with the public unless they are protected by an acrylic shield barrier. In addition, TSA ofﬁcers are required to change their gloves following each patdown and upon passenger request.

TSA PRECHECK®

TSA PreCheck is an expedited screening program that enables low-risk travelers to enjoy a smart and efficient screening experience at more than 200 US airports. TSA PreCheck may be more relevant today than ever before because it allows passengers to travel with ease by providing convenience, less stress, and the least amount of physical contact. TSA PreCheck members do not have to remove shoes, laptops, 3-1-1 items (liquids, gels, and aerosols), belts, light jackets, and/or food items from carry-on bags. TSA PRECHECK® AND DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

TSA offers free TSA PreCheck benefits to US Department of Defense (DOD) civil-

ian employees and all active-duty members of the US armed forces, including those serving in the US Coast Guard, Reserves, and National Guard, as well as cadets and midshipmen of the US Military Academy, Naval Academy, Coast Guard Academy, and Air Force Academy. To ensure TSA PreCheck appears on your boarding pass, enter the 10-digit DOD ID number located on the back of the Common Access Card in the “Known Travel Number” field when making flight reservations or when updating your Defense Travel System (DTS) profile for official travel. If you are a federal civilian employee and would like to participate in TSA PreCheck, you must opt-in at milConnect to activate your benefit. For future airline reservations, automatically include your DOD ID number and save it in your DTS profile. You may also save your DOD ID number in the frequent flyer program profiles of participating airlines. US military members do not need to be in uniform and may enjoy TSA PreCheck while on personal or official travel. If you are leaving military service and want to continue to enjoy TSA PreCheck benefits when you travel, consider enrolling at www.tsa.gov/precheck. Traveling spouses or companions are encouraged to enroll directly. Many credit cards and loyalty programs cover the cost of the TSA PreCheck application fee, so check out TSA’s website to see if your credit card participates. EXPIRED DRIVER’S LICENSE AND REAL ID EXTENSION

The REAL ID Act establishes minimum security standards for driver’s licenses. Secure driver’s licenses and identification documents are a vital component of our national security framework. If your driver’s license or state-issued ID expired on or after March 1, 2020, and you are unable to renew at your state driver’s license agency, you may still use it as acceptable identification at the checkpoint. TSA will accept expired driver’s licenses or state-issued IDs up to one year after expiration.

Good news for DOD members as well: DOD IDs, including IDs issued to dependents, are acceptable alternative forms of identification to board aircraft in case your driver’s license is not REAL ID compliant. The new deadline for enforcement is October 1, 2021. To learn more, visit TSA’s REAL ID webpage at www.tsa.gov/real-id. TSA IS HIRING

positions for TSOs around the country, visit TSA.gov/TSO. FINAL THOUGHTS

As the US shows signs of recovery, TSA is ready to meet the current and future security needs of the nation’s transportation systems. TSA employees and travelers need to continue wearing masks, practice social distancing and wash hands frequently. We are all responsible for following CDC guidance to protect ourselves and our communities. Please visit TSA’s COVID-19 webpage for more information about TSA’s response to the pandemic. DTJ

In anticipation of increased travel trends in 2021, TSA recently announced plans to hire over 6,000 Transportation Security Officers (TSOs). TSOs are the backbone of TSA and play a vital role in keeping air travel safe. Nearly one in five TSA employees is a veteran or still proudly serving. If you know someone who is interested in a career that offers benefits like health SERVICE DISABLED VETERAN OWNED SMALL BUSINESS care and retirement and where you work alongside a diverse and inclusive team, the TSO position can offer a great next step in one’s federal career. To view open

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A Lesson in Determination from Duluth Travel By Sharon Lo, Managing Editor, DTJ & The Source

fter finding there was no travel agent in his town of Duluth, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta, Arthur Salus decided he would open one. With no knowledge of the industry, one employee other than himself, and $5,000 to his name, Salus opened Duluth Travel, a ServiceDisabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB). The year was 1993 and he still remembers how hard it was assembling the two desks he purchased from Staples. Duluth focused on leisure travel business, before meeting suppliers who connected him with co-op money that helped him go after corporate accounts—which he did by fax. Lots of fax. This was before broadcast faxes, so for each fax sent he had to type in the number then put in the paper to be faxed, and wait for confirmation that it went through before moving on to the next number. With a Chamber of Commerce list and help from his family each weekend, this was how Salus built his business which has grown to become the top SDVOSB in government travel. 14

| Defense Transportation Journal | APRIL 2021

While the COVID-19 pandemic is certainly in a category all its own, the travel industry—and agencies like Duluth— have experienced difficult times before. The company has survived airline commission cuts of the 1990s, the advent of travel websites that took a significant amount of travel booking business, two economic recessions, and the 9/11 attacks which resulted in reducing travel for several years. It was during one of these particularly difficult periods that Duluth first got into the government travel space. In a recent chat, Salus share the interesting tale of how he got into the government travel business and his thoughts on making it through the COVID-19 pandemic: I read an article in Travel Weekly that talked about government travel. Of course, I knew nothing about government travel at that time. I was still working on leisure and corporate, but then I started investigating it. I went to my Congressmen Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson, who were our Senators at the time, I introduced my-

self and they kind of guided me on what I needed to do. They first directed me to GSA [the US General Services Administration] because the only way you could do any business was to get on the GSA schedule. I had to register with [GSA]. Back then these things were still done with paperwork, not through computers and emails, so it was a slow process. Contracts were going out and I just kept waiting on my approval to come through with no luck. One day I came home and was watching a movie, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, starring Jimmy Stewart. In it, the main character gets elected to help change Washington politics. It was really inspirational to me. It made me think, let me go to Washington and see what I can do and see how I can get some work from the government. So, I decided I was going to do that. Three days later, I came home to find my wife crying at the table. When I asked what was wrong, she said that we were out of money. I decided that was it, so I got an appointment with Isakson’s of-

Our company is just as capable of providing the same services as the bigger companies, with great customer service and often at lower costs. But we get overlooked, especially by corporations. So, it has taken a lot of determination to make it.

fice and at five o’clock in the morning the next day I went to Washington. I got there with my carry-on bag around seven or seven-thirty in the morning and just started walking the halls of the Congressional office building. When you walk around, you see all the different offices and committees of both Republicans and Democrats. I figured I would just go in and knock on doors. And I brought two things to help me—two pins. When Jimmy Carter was running for president, he had a volunteer force called the Peanut Brigade. They gave out peanuts because he was a peanut farmer and there was a little peanut tiepin that signified that you worked on his campaign. I brought that and brought a Republican pin. As I walked up and down the hall, I would switch my tiepin depending on what office I was going to enter. I’d introduce myself, just seeing who I could talk to and they would either listen to me or kick me out of the office. I kept going back and forth across the hall, switching my tiepin, looking for people to hear me and help.

Then I just happen to see the office of the Chairman of the Small Business Committee, his name was Don Manzullo, from Illinois. I walked into his office and as I’m talking to his staffers, I had a tap on my shoulder and it was him asking what I was doing. I said ‘I’m a service-disabled vet, trying to get business from the government and I can’t get GSA to respond.’ He said ‘tell me your story,’ so we went into his office and he listened to me. And then he said he wanted me to testify in front of the committee, so I did. When I testified, I was really nervous. They ask you to provide your testimony three days before and I must have read it 25 times to get it under the eight minutes allotted. But the thing that really threw me off was this little box you have sitting right in front of you with red, yellow and green lights. When they introduced me, the light changed from red to green. I was reading slowly like my wife had said to do and then the yellow light came on. I didn’t have enough time to finish. I was so worried the red light was going to come on and stop me, that I put my paper down and asked the Chairman ‘Would you mind if I don’t read my testimony because you have it? Can I just talk to you from the heart?’ The Chairman said ‘absolutely.’ So, I never finished my report, I just spoke from my heart about my experience. As luck would have it, when I testified, I sat next to a Deputy Secretary for the VA [US Department of Veterans Affairs]. We were all there to help wave the flag for vets and small business. During the break, I asked him who was doing the VA’s travel. He responded it was American Express, so I asked ‘why are we up here advocating for small business and vets, when you aren’t even practicing what you preach? A vet and a small business capable of doing your travel is right next to you.’ Well, I must have hit the right nerve because six months later we won that contract.

Having that VA contract put us on the map. Since then, Duluth has also worked with the Department of the Interior, IRS [Internal Revenue Service], HHS/ASPR [the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response], the Smithsonian, FEMA [the Federal Emergency Management Agency], and TSA [the Transportation Security Administration]. I’m incredibly proud of what we have accomplished over the years. It wasn’t easy. One problem I have found in our world of travel is that often major companies say they have supplier diversity programs, but I have been applying on these sites for years with no response. Our company is just as capable of providing the same services as the bigger companies, with great customer service and often at lower costs. But we get overlooked, especially by corporations. So, it has taken a lot of determination to make it. Of course, with COVID, we are in another difficult period. In the travel industry, we all get hurt when there is a downturn. For Duluth, the government business has been our saving grace during this time. We have been helping to move people for FEMA and [the Department of ] Homeland Security for major events like natural disasters, the January 6th riots at the capitol, the Super Bowl, things like that. I think other travel business will come back, but it will take a big push from the government and widespread vaccinations to make travelers feel comfortable. We are down to only 10 percent of our normal volume. But, we remain optimistic and we have adjusted. Having the flexibility to adjust quickly is one benefit of being a small business. In a big business, there may be layers to get through before you can get a decision. At Duluth, the buck stops with me and I pride myself in being involved in all facets of the business. We have been through difficult times before and I know that we will survive this too. We can’t give up. DTJ www.ndtahq.com |

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The Symposium on Government Travel & Passenger Services Respond, Adapt, Innovate – The Changing World of Government Travel February 23-25, 2021

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Virtual

Text by Sharon Lo, Managing Editor, DTJ and The Source, unless otherwise noted

GovTravels summary material, produced by NDTA, is intended to provide an overview of presentations and should not be considered verbatim. This information does not necessarily represent the official position of the US government or any of its entities, NDTA, or any of its corporate members. We regret any errors or omissions. For more information regarding the meeting, please visit NDTA’s website at www.ndtahq.com.

| Defense Transportation Journal | APRIL 2021

GovTravels Symposium Focuses on Changing World of Government Travel

he significant changes and challenges to government travel and the travel sector over the last year was at the center of discussion during NDTA’s 2021 GovTravels Symposium. The symposium, which was co-sponsored for the fifth year by the Defense Travel Management Office (DTMO), is an annual gathering of US Government and industry travel experts. GovTravels focuses on government-wide travel programs and travel policy, providing professional development and networking opportunities for all participants. Held virtually February 23-25, the theme of this year’s event was “Respond, Adapt, Innovate— the Changing World of Government Travel.” “This is a diverse and talented group of professionals who are enthusiastic about seeing travel get back to normal,” said NDTA President and CEO VADM William “Andy” Brown, USN (Ret.), who served as the master of ceremonies. “Our stated goal over the next three days of GovTravels is simple: To promote communication among all stakeholders, government and private sector, whose job it is to support the safe and efficient travel of our government travelers. “Requirements, needs, capabilities, policies, trends, issues, innovations—you will be exposed to all of these over the next few days as we talk about the future of government travel. These discussions are obviously more important than ever as we learn to cope with new travel realities.” During the opening remarks, DTMO Director William “Bill” Mansell Jr., SES, commented, “Year after year we experience first-hand the value that this event brings, the relationships that we build and strengthen, the ideas that are exchanged and integrated, and we walk away with a better understanding of what is happening across the travel landscape. Hosting this event in a virtual environment is a little different for all of us, I’m sure, but I fully expect that this year’s program will continue its tradition of excellence and stakeholder engagement.” The previous year’s symposium was held as the COVID-19 pandemic was spreading worldwide, and just before shutdowns and quarantines occurred in the US. “It was at GovTravels last year that I began to answer the mail on the impact of DOD travel as the Department of State began issuing level-four travel advisories, countries began closing borders, and the Secretary of Defense weighed a stop movement order,” said Mansell. “At the time, I don’t think any of us could have imagined the magnitude to which COVID-19 impacted the world, the global economy, and the movement of people. I never imagined we’d see travel in the department come to a near stand-still and I don’t think you did either. We couldn’t predict what was to come, and moreover, I don’t think any of us would have thought we would be in much the same place today as we were last spring. “Now today I can tell you that travel volume across the department has increased slightly, but it is still down about 48 percent of what it was in December of 2019, and no one has been impacted more than our travel industry partners. The pandemic

VADM William “Andy” Brown, USN (Ret.), President and CEO, NDTA

William “Bill” Mansell Jr., SES, Director, DTMO

has been devastating to the travel industry—and we will hear a little more about that as we go on this week’s agenda—and it will continue to have impacts for years to come.” Key government and industry stakeholders, including DTMO, the General Services Administration (GSA), NDTA and its industry members, including members of its Government Passenger Travel Advisory Council (GPTAC), collaborated to develop the symposium’s professional program. The program, which consisted of keynote speeches, roundtable discussions, and Travel Academy classes, examined and discussed a wide range of topics focused on commercial travel issues associated with the US Government and Department of Defense’s multi-billion-dollar travel enterprise. Attendees also had the chance to connect and learn about travel solutions and offerings during NDTA’s virtual exhibition. Held by NDTA in conjunction with the symposium each year, the expo provides a key opportunity for networking and education. While all facets of travel faced immense obstacles and changes over the past year, it was clear throughout the symposium that the US Government and its industry partners remain resilient—and that their dedication to the government traveler remains unwavering. www.ndtahq.com |

Defense Department Has Multiple Priorities in COVID-19 Battle By Terri Moon Cronk, DOD News

ovTravels’ first keynote speaker, Robert G. Salesses, SES, Performing the Duties of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense & Global Security, addressed DOD’s work during the pandemic. DOD is actively implementing President Joe Biden’s new national strategy on COVID-19, he said. And DOD’s priorities going forward are aimed at education, reinforcing mitigation efforts, expanding testing capability, getting the vaccine and continuing to support the nation. “You can imagine the Department of Defense with 2.2 million people in uniform and 700,000 civilians in the contract workforce,” he said, adding that communication was—and is—vital when putting in place restrictions of movement, social distancing, mask wearing and other mitigation measures. The 15,000 COVID-19 tests that are administered every day are also critical in controlling the spread of the virus. “That kind of work, collectively, has been significant for the nation and for the Defense Department,” he said, noting that nearly 990,000 doses of vaccine have been administered across DOD, so far. “We have to adapt and evolve as we see the situation,” Salesses said. It became clear that the medical professionals were needed around the country, so DOD adapted by providing medical professionals to help out in public and private hospitals. Additionally, the Army Corps of Engineers designed and built 38 alternate-care facilities to house patients in multiple states. The National Guard has been on the frontlines of the COVID-19 mission. At the height of the pandemic crisis, there were more than 47,000 National Guard members deployed, he said. “They were supporting testing and emergency medical care and public health efforts in different states and territories, communications, transportation [and] logistics. And, even today, we have over 28,000 National Guard deployed around the states and territories, assisting the state and local officials.” The Defense Department was instrumental in supporting federal, state and local partners, he noted. For example, a publicprivate partnership among DOD, the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and vaccine manufacturers has now led to the distribution of about 78 million vaccine doses, while about 59 million vaccinations have been administered, he said. “There’s been tremendous work done over the last year, and, in particular, over the last couple of months with the Biden administration to make sure the vaccine is going to be available and implemented,” Salesses said. “And one of the initiatives [Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III] made clear on his first

| Defense Transportation Journal | APRIL 2021

Robert G. Salesses, SES, Performing the Duties of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense & Global Security

“You can imagine the Department of Defense with 2.2 million people in uniform and 700,000 civilians in the contract workforce,” he said, adding that communication was—and is—vital when putting in place restrictions of movement, social distancing, mask wearing and other mitigation measures. The 15,000 COVID-19 tests that are administered every day are also critical in controlling the spread of the virus. day [was] that DOD must move further and faster to counter this pandemic. To that end, DOD is partnering right now with [HHS, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)] and state and local authorities to stand up mega and large vaccine centers.” DOD has also been focused on COVID-19 internationally. “A lot of great work was being done with our allies and partners, he said, adding that the department has helped more than 143 countries with testing, diagnostics, medical supplies and equipment. As the United States continues to operate in a COVID-19 environment and go forward, it’s vital to have strategic communications with coherent and consistent messaging so people know what’s expected of them. It’s also important to put aggressive mitigation measures in place to get the vaccine out to be more effective as a nation.

Leaders from Government & Military Provide COVID-19 Lessons Learned

ttendees of the GovTravels Symposium gained new perspective from a panel of government and military leaders who provided a focused look at the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on government passenger travel programs. Moderated by Philip Benjamin, Deputy Director, DTMO, panel members included William Mansell, Jr., SES, Director, DTMO; Tim Burke, SES, Executive Director, Office of Travel, Employee Relocation and Transportation, Federal Acquisition Service, GSA and the Government-Wide Category Manager for Travel; and Rick Marsh, SES, Director, Defense Personal Property Program, USTRANSCOM. “The Joint Travel Regulation was not necessarily prepared, did not cover all of the particular requirements that arose during the global pandemic,” said Mansell describing one way the pandemic affected military travelers. Despite the challenges faced, he noted that the mission continued to be accomplished. He attributed this to the resiliency of DTMO, as well as the resiliency of its industry partners. Burke shared that like DTMO, the programs, procurements and solutions of GSA continued to work through the pandemic, even as the agency experienced challenges and a major decrease in transactions. He credited this durability with the fact that these items were built—in both design and strategy—around commercial best practices. He added that the lessons learned from the pandemic would provide a foundation for handling future crises. For USTRANSCOM, COVID-19 highlighted the importance of communication, said Marsh. This included routine dialogue with DOD stakeholders which increased in frequency and depth during the pandemic. The pandemic also reframed personal property moves from a transactional to a people-centered mission.

Philip Benjamin, Deputy Director, DTMO

Rick Marsh, SES, Director, Defense Personal Property Program, USTRANSCOM

able standards of care, holding USTRANSCOM accountable should that standard of care not be met. He also predicted that improving the relocation process would continue to be a priority for senior leaders. Burke believed the year ahead would bring industry-wide consolidations and realignments as a result of the financial impacts of the pandemic. He also thought the pandemic would draw attention to the question of whether or not enterprise-wide capabilities are being met. For travel to resume, Mansell said that vaccinations needed to be widely available. In addition, installation readiness assessments need to show installations are ready to reopen. When these things occur—and are consistent—he predicted we will see a return to travel. www.ndtahq.com |

Passenger Air Travel: Adapting to Meet the Changing Environment

Scott Kirby, Chief Executive Officer, United Airlines

“We were early on called more pessimistic or more bearish about the Coronavirus. We’ve tried from the very beginning to focus on being realistic,” said Kirby. “This was always a big issue, a big crisis that was going to take a lot to resolve.”

he COVID-19 Pandemic has created a new reality for the passenger travel industry. Chief Executive Officer of United Airlines Scott Kirby provided insight into how his company adapted to meet this changing environment. The comments came during his keynote speech at the 2021 GovTravels Symposium. Kirby recounted that when COVID-19 arrived in Italy in late February 2020, United recognized it would be a serious worldwide event and started planning for what was to come. The company also took a leadership role early in the pandemic response, partnering with the Department of Defense (DOD) and Defense Advanced Project Research Agency (DARPA) for the most comprehensive study ever of onboard safety of airplanes, focused on the transmission of airborne infectious diseases. The results of the study showed that airplanes were in fact safe environments due to their air circulation rates. Air in an aircraft is recirculated every 2-3 minutes using HEPA-grade filters with 50 percent of the air coming in fresh from outside. In contrast, air in a building is recirculated on average every 20-30 minutes. United was also the first large brand to require masks. Despite United’s early and active response, the extent of the pandemic has been a shock both to the company and the industry at large. In April 2020, United’s revenues were down 99

| Defense Transportation Journal | APRIL 2021

percent. At the time, only medical professionals headed to the COVID front lines and personal protective equipment (PPE) were flying. “Things have recovered some, but our revenues are still down almost 70 percent and that’s just a cataclysmic environment financially for airlines,” said Kirby. “I appreciate the response from Washington, the bipartisan response, for the CARES [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security] Act I and CARES Act II and now what’s going on for CARES III, ha[s] been critical to maintaining support for the parts of the economy that were devastated by Coronavirus.” Besides aviation, he mentioned anything in travel, tourism, entertainment, leisure and restaurants as businesses that have been devastated by the COVID-19 crisis. He added that help from the government was not only important to support these groups, but provided enough time for them to find private funding. In the case of United, the company has raised $26 billion to fund its losses through the pandemic. While the past year had been incredibly challenging, Kirby was optimistic about the future. “As we look forward, we have high confidence in the ultimate recovery. The key of course was getting the vaccine and then getting enough of the population vaccinated that we can get back—as Andy [NDTA President VADM (Ret.) William A. Brown] said—to living life as normal.” “We were early on called more pessimistic or more bearish about the Coronavirus. We’ve tried from the very beginning to focus on being realistic,” said Kirby. “This was always a big issue, a big crisis that was going to take a lot to resolve. But it’s nice that we can see the light at the end of the tunnel—and whether that happens by the summer, or the fall, or even in the winter—we have high confidence that the recovery will come back and then at that point there’s huge pent-up demand for travel.” According to Kirby those in the travel industry have an especially critical role to play in the pandemic recovery. “Please understand the importance of what you are doing. It’s not just the transactional work of getting people from point A to point B, but this really is going to be a big part of the psychological recovery for our society.”

Passenger Travel: Adapting to Meet the Changing Environment “Business travel is going to return with the end of the pandemic, but behaviors will change, passengers are going to adapt, we’re going to emerge into a new reality, and the shape and the size of this industry are going to be different certainly than what they were [in] 2019 and before,” said Ekert.

Kurt J. Ekert, President and CEO, CWT

ooking across the passenger travel industry, GovTravels keynote Kurt J. Ekert, President and CEO of CWT, examined the impacts of the pandemic on the industry and the government traveler. “If you turn the clock back to 2019, travel and tourism as an industry globally accounted for an amazing 10 percent of global GDP [Gross Domestic Product] and nearly 15 percent of global employment. In fact, in many less developed markets, travel and tourism often accounts for more than half of the employment sector in total,” stated Ekert. “With the onset of COVID, we’ve seen about 90 percent of business travel basically stopped around the world, starting in March of last year. And, even today, a year into the pandemic, we still only see global business and government travel transacting at about 15 percent of pre-COVID levels. And this is due obviously to the massive restrictions and quarantines and the health and safety issues that are so prevalent in these times.” The far-reaching impacts of the pandemic were felt in job losses, lost revenues, and in other measures such as a reduction in the amount of airline seats being offered. In comparison to the impacts of two other modern-day crises—the 9/11 attacks and the 2008-2009 financial crisis—on the travel industry, the impact of COVID in 2020 was 10 times the impact in terms of volume of those two events combined. Despite these daunting statistics, some positive signs are emerging. The global roll-out of vaccines is important for creating a platform for the successful return to travel. The roll-out will be enhanced by a return to workplaces. Digital health passports are starting to become a norm. While standardizing the use of these and addressing the challenges of balancing their use with privacy laws will take time, their adoption will only further encourage a return to travel normalcy. “Over the next two to three years we are likely to see a very strong leisure travel recovery, albeit probably less so on longhaul destinations. That’s going to take longer. And, business travel recovery and meetings and events recovery will occur. Our expectation is that recovery will not start in earnest until

the fall of this year with more widespread vaccination,” predicted Ekert. “We believe that we’re not going to see 2019 volume levels in the business travel sector for at least five or six years. We think there are permanent structural changes that have occurred because of COVID.” A major change in the eyes of a corporate or government travel manager is a focus on traveler health and safety in determining an “allowable trip.” Criteria, such as airlines that keep middle seats unoccupied or hygiene measures taken by hotels or local infection rates, may factor into decision making. For the traveler, there has been a shift at the intersection of technology and human interaction. Travelers now expect consumer grade tools to complete their transactions. “Business travel is going to return with the end of the pandemic, but behaviors will change, passengers are going to adapt, we’re going to emerge into a new reality, and the shape and the size of this industry are going to be different certainly than what they were [in] 2019 and before,” said Ekert. “And, the idea of returning to normal to me, for this industry, is a misnomer. There is no normal, we’re going to emerge into something that is different and we’ll have to adapt.” www.ndtahq.com |

How Have Industry and Government Responded, Adapted and Innovated?

n the final day of GovTravels, a panel presentation provided insight into ways industry and government have responded, adapted, and innovated over the past year, as well as plans to overcome and push through the friction created by COVID-19. Moderated by Tony D’Astolfo, Senior Vice President North America, Serko Ltd, panelists included Robert Connors, Vice President, Enterprise Holdings, Inc.; David Harvey, Vice President, Southwest Business; Nick Vournakis, Managing Director, Global Customer Group, CWTSatoTravel; and Jim Gregory, Deputy Assistant Administrator Strategic Communications and Public Affairs, TSA. D’Astolfo opened the discussion by asking panel members to describe how their respective businesses had adapted as a result of the pandemic. For Vournakis, when the industry was “catastrophically impacted” by the pandemic, CWTSatoTravel focused on cash management. In addition, it focused on having enough liquidity to continue making strategic investments, drive business continuity, and ensure the company could weather an 18 to 36-month downturn. While TSA’s primary focus remains security, Gregory shared that the pandemic necessitated the implementation of myriad protective measures such as plexiglass barriers and wearing PPE to make the screening process safer. The agency also upgraded its equipment to reduce the need for security agents to handle passenger boarding documents and baggage. According to Harvey, matching capacity to demand is key to any airline. The abrupt halt of flying passengers caused the airline to look closely at how to adjust its operations control, network, and schedule. Also, while Southwest already had robust business continuity plans, those plans needed to be adjusted and thought through more thoroughly to address the realities of COVID-19. When the pandemic hit and it became obvious that airport business would be down for a while, Enterprise Holdings moved

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| Defense Transportation Journal | APRIL 2021

Tony D’Astolfo, Senior Vice President North America, Serko Ltd

David Harvey, Vice President, Southwest Business

many of its cars to city and local locations. It also took a good look at its cleaning procedures. Connors explained that while cars had always been cleaned, the company had to look at cleaning to “pandemic standards.” It was also critical to put health protections into place to ensure employees and customers felt comfortable. The panel also shared insights and predictions for the next 12 months. Gregory predicted an extension of the digital health passports. Harvey shared that Southwest had been working through its distribution channels to make the airline easier to do business with, a task he expected to be complete within the year. Connors thought that as travel returned, people would be so happy they would ignore any annoyances that occurred over the course of their trips. Vournakis predicted that government travels would return to 80 percent of 2019 travel. While the travel industry has faced immense challenges since the start of the pandemic, it was clear that there is optimism for the year ahead. DTJ

Thank you to everyone who helped make the NDTA-DTMO GovTravels Symposium such a success. Next year’s symposium is scheduled for February 28-March 3, 2022, in-person at the Hilton Mark Center in Alexandria, Virginia. We hope you will make it a priority to join us!

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Cont’d from Cyber Security pg. 6 ous competition, the course has been complicated by 20 years of nation-state-sponsored adversaries and non-state cybercrime syndicates building on each other’s attacks. NDTA Presidents (L-R): LTG Edward Honor, USA (Ret.); LTG Kenneth Wykle, USA (Ret.); RADM Mark Buzby,

WIDENING GAPS AND USN (Ret.); andCommittee’s current NDTA President VADM Andy Brown, USN (Ret.). Many of ADM Loy’s predictions from the Cybersecurity first Many Many ofofyears ADM ADMLoy’s Loy’spredictions predictionsfrom fromthe theCybersecurity CybersecurityCommittee’s Committee’sfirst firsty VULNERABILITIES have come to pass, especially the need to match the necessary have havecome cometotopass, pass,especially especiallyabout aboutthe theneed needtotomatch matchthe thenecessary necessary The compounding risks were easyabout to spot the challenge. the right resources, no one inresources the recent to public disclosuresWithout of the supready knew about theshould threat as 750 hospioperationally by the major systems no providers resources resources totothe thechallenge. challenge. Without Withoutthe the right right resources, resources, noone oneshould should plyrealistically chain attack inadvertently spread by tals had been affected by attacks in 2019. that cut across public and private organizaexpect the US to live up to its commitment of being Always realistically realisticallyexpect expectthe theUS UStotolive liveup uptotoits itscommitment commitmentofof being beingAlways Always software from and others. By September the world faced tions. At would awould policysay, level, both Paratus. the DOD and Prepared, or asSolarWinds the Coast Guard would say, Semper Paratus. of 2020, Prepared, Prepared, or oras as the theCoast Coast Guard Guard say, Semper Semper Paratus.

Although intelligence suggests that statesponsored Russian hackers led the initial attack, Chinese military-supported attackers raced in once they saw the opening. By February 2021, the British news agency Reuters quoted Brig Gen Touhill as saying that, “It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve seen a nation-state actor surfing in behind someone else, it’s like ‘drafting’ in NAS-

During the COVID-19 Pandemic, the FBI saw cyberattacks increase by 300400% within the first few months.

CAR where one racing car gets an advantage by closely following another’s lead.” DHS’s Cybersecurity Information and Assurance Agency (CISA) went further in its CISA Cyber Activity Alert, “CISA has determined that this threat poses a grave risk to the Federal Government and state, local, tribal, and territorial governments as well as critical infrastructure entities and other private sector organizations…This [attack] is a patient, well-resourced, and focused adversary that has sustained long duration activity on victim networks.” ATTACKING WHERE IT HURTS

During the COVID-19 Pandemic, the FBI saw cyberattacks increase by 300-400% within the first few months. Nothing indicates the severity of those attacks more than their particular concentration on the overstressed US healthcare system. Even before the revelations on the SolarWinds attack, CISA alerted the nation to “an imminent and increased cybercrime threat to US hospitals and healthcare providers”on October 28, 2020. That was important official news for the public, but hospitals nationwide al26

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its first publicized case of a hospital needing to turn away a critically ill patient from its emergency room because it was recovering from a ransomware attack. More than highlighting the under-addressed vulnerabilities of all critical infrastructure, the paralyzing impact of this and other attacks is their ability to undermine confidence and trust in society’s institutions. SETTING NEW PUBLIC AND PRIVATE EXPECTATIONS

Cybersecurity software provider Crowdstrike’s Chief Technology Officer, Dmitri Alperovitch, challenges the US public and private sector to “detect an intrusion within one minute, investigate it within 10 minutes, and isolate or remediate the problem within one hour.” This challenge seems far out given what Alperovitch points out is status quo: “At present, there is no comprehensive federal breach notification law, and state-level laws are too decentralized...For example, if cybersecurity company FireEye had not voluntarily and publicly shared evidence of their own compromise and that SolarWinds was the attack vector, the public and the government may not have known about this highly impactful attack for many months to come. Yet, FireEye had no legal obligation to report this breach under existing law. They should be praised for their courageous decision, but unfortunately, not all other victims have followed their lead in transparency.” Transparency already exists through affordable initiatives like the DIBNet discussed in the last Cybersecurity Lessons From the Field. This will be the only way to go for smaller organizations like DIBCo, the role model small business that the case study lessons we discuss in each DTJ. Another focus of the Cybersecurity Committee, along with USTRANSCOM Commander GEN Steve Lyons, USA, is addressing the need for more proactive cyber audits

Congress could increase the systems assurance requirements of these vendors. In any case, many of these systems providers should take a more active presence in NDTA to better understand and respond to the specific threats faced by USTRANSCOM, DLA, and the Defense Travel Management Office. NDTA’S CONTINUED LEADERSHIP

As DIB-Co’s CEO said in discussions with DOD and private sector leaders, “Our resources are very limited. We need an affordable way to exchange lessons learned with other companies and with trade associations.” NDTA and parallel associations in adjacent industries can mobilize community resources per geography and ecosystem to meet DIB-Co’s needs. NDTA’s cybersecurity progress began with the godparent of modern critical infrastructure protection in the United States and a former member of the association’s Board of Directors, ADM James Loy, USCG (Ret.). ADM Loy served as Commandant of the US Coast Guard, after which he went on to become the Deputy Secretary of DHS. ADM Loy led the creation of what evolved into the NDTA Cybersecurity Best Practices Committee after 9/11, which has benefitted from ongoing mentorship from four NDTA Presidents: the late LTG Edward Honor, USA (Ret.); LTG Kenneth Wykle, USA (Ret.); RADM Mark Buzby, USN (Ret.); and the current NDTA President VADM Andy Brown, USN (Ret.). All five of these leaders recognized cybersecurity in the context of security and resiliency as a holistic response to all hazards. Many of ADM Loy’s predictions from the Cybersecurity Committee’s early years have come to pass, especially about the need to match the necessary resources to the challenge. Without the right resources, no one should realistically expect the US to live up to its commitment of being Always Prepared, or as the Coast Guard would say, Semper Paratus. DTJ

FROM HQ NDTA: A Good Place to Start! By George Brooks, NDTA Intern

n the fall of 2020, I was informed that I would be commissioning into the US Army Transportation Corps. Armed with this information, I reached out to NDTA about the possibility of becoming an intern to expand my knowledge of the transportation field. NDTA Senior Vice President of Operations Craig Hymes and the other members of NDTA gladly accepted me, and my journey began. During my internship, I was welcomed into NDTA’s weekly staff meetings. These meetings provided a better understanding of the organization, and of vital issues and important news in the transportation and logistics fields to which I would have not otherwise been privy. For instance, I was able to better understand what steps the airline industry was taking to combat COVID-19. I was also able to attend meetings with heads of industry and leaders of the Defense Department’s transportation-related organizations, such as the US Transportation Command and Defense Travel Management Office. While working with NDTA, I met with Lee Matthews, Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Development, and Annie Keith, Operations Manager. Both full-time NDTA employees, who readily shared their years of experience working with industry and government. They gave me valuable insight into the need for organizations such as NDTA. During my meeting with Mr. Matthews, we discussed the importance of NDTA not only for its work connecting government with the private sector, but how it also allows members of industry to build relationships that will last a lifetime. This internship experience has provided me with logistics and transportation foun-

dational knowledge that will assist me in my upcoming career. As a young professional, I have had the opportunity to meet members of my industry with years of experience, who have taught me lessons about the transportation world and much more. They have shared experiences of being able to call their peers because of relationships they had created during their time with NDTA and throughout their careers. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with NDTA. I would recommend all young professionals joining the workforce find a professional organization within their career field. For those entering the logistics and transportation career field, NDTA is a must. I would also recommend mentors be equipped and knowledgeable of the benefits of such organizations to show relevance to young professionals. Prior to my internship, I did not grasp the many benefits I would find beyond simply learning more about the transportation industry. After four months with the organization, I have learned about transportation and the importance of building relationships with others. I want to thank NDTA for this opportunity. I look forward to continuing to work with them in the future, as a member. DTJ

NDTA Intern George Brooks is a senior at Notre Dame College, located in South Euclid, Ohio. He is a member of John Carroll University’s Army ROTC program and will be commissioned as a Lieutenant in the US Army Transportation Corps, May 22, 2021. He is a proud member of NDTA and completed his internship April 30.

We at NDTA want to thank George for his contributions over the past several months and wish him all the best as he begins his journey. We hope that in a small way NDTA has been able to help him off to a good start!

www.ndtahq.com |

CHAIRMAN’S CIRCLE

These corporations are a distinctive group of NDTA Members who, through their generous support of the Association, have dedicated themselves to supporting an expansion of NDTA programs to benefit our members and defense transportation preparedness.

AAR CORP. + PLUS Agility Defense & Government Services + PLUS AIT Worldwide Logistics, Inc. + PLUS American President Lines, LLC + PLUS American Roll-on Roll-off Carrier + PLUS Amtrak + PLUS Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings + PLUS Bennett + PLUS Cervello Technologies, L.L.C. + PLUS CGI + PLUS Chapman Freeborn Airchartering, Inc. + PLUS Construction Helicopters, Inc. (d/b/a CHI Aviation) + PLUS Crane Worldwide Logistics, LLC + PLUS Crowley + PLUS Deloitte + PLUS DHL Express + PLUS Enterprise Holdings + PLUS FedEx + PLUS Freeman Holdings Group + PLUS Goldratt Consulting North America LLC + PLUS Hapag-Lloyd USA, LLC + PLUS International Auto Logistics + PLUS Kalitta Air LLC + PLUS Landstar System, Inc. + PLUS Liberty Global Logistics-Liberty Maritime + PLUS Maersk Line, Limited + PLUS Matson + PLUS National Air Cargo, Inc. + PLUS Omni Air International, LLC + PLUS SAP + PLUS Schuyler Line Navigation Company LLC + PLUS The Suddath Companies + PLUS TOTE + PLUS Tri-State + PLUS US Ocean, LLC + PLUS Waterman Logistics + PLUS Western Global Airlines + PLUS American Maritime Partnership Amerijet International, Inc. Ascent Global Logistics/ USA Jet Airlines Berry Aviation, Inc. BNSF Railway Boeing Company Boyle Transportation, Inc. Bristol Associates Choice Hotels International 28

| Defense Transportation Journal | APRIL 2021

CSX Transportation CWTSatoTravel Echo Global Logistics, Inc. Global Logistics Providers KGL McKinsey & Company National Air Carrier Association Norfolk Southern Corporation

SAP Concur Sealift, Inc. Telesto Group LLC The Pasha Group The Port of Virginia Transportation Institute U.S. Bank Freight Payment Union Pacific Railroad UPS Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc.

HONOR ROLL

SUSTAINING MEMBERS AND REGIONAL PATRONS

ALL OF THESE FIRMS SUPPORT THE PURPOSES AND OBJECTIVES OF NDTA

SUSTAINING MEMBERS AAT Carriers, Inc. ABODA by RESIDE Accenture Federal Services Admiral Merchants Motor Freight, Inc. Agape Travel and Tours Air Transport International, Inc. Al-Hamd International Container Terminal American Bureau of Shipping American Maritime Officers American Trucking Associations Ameriflight, LLC Anacostia Rail Holdings Apex Logistics International Inc. ArcBest Army & Air Force Exchange Service Arven Services, LLC Atlas World Group International ATS Specialized, Inc. Avis Budget Group Baggett Transportation Company BCD Travel Beltway Transportation Service Benchmarking Partners, Inc. Blue Star Charter & Tours, Inc. Bolloré Logistics BWH Hotel Group C.L. Services, Inc. CIT Signature Transportation Coachman Luxury Transport Coleman Worldwide Moving Cornerstone Systems, Inc. Council for Logistics Research Dash Point Distributing, LLC Delta Air Lines Drury Hotels LLC Duluth Travel, Inc. (DTI) EASE Logistics Ernst & Young Estes Forwarding Worldwide, LLC REGIONAL PATRONS ACME Truck Line, Inc. Agile Defense, Inc. Amyx C5T Corporation CakeBoxx Technologies LLC CarrierDrive LLC Cartwright International Cavalier Logistics Chassis King, Inc. Columbia Helicopters, Inc. Dalko Resources, Inc.

Europcar Car & Truck Rental Eurpac Evanhoe & Associates, Inc. Excl Hospitality – Suburban Suites/ MainStay Suites Eyre Bus Service, Inc. FlightSafety International GeoDecisions Green Valley Transportation Corp. Hertz Corporation Hilton Worldwide Hyatt Hotels IHG Army Hotels Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) International Association of Movers International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), AFL-CIO Interstate Moving | Relocation | Logistics Keystone Shipping Co. KROWN1 FZC LMI Longbow Advantage Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association MatchTruckers, Inc. Mayflower Transit McCollister’s Transportation Systems, Inc. Mento LLC Mercer Transportation Company mLINQS National Charter Bus National Industries for the Blind (NIB) National Motor Freight Traffic Association, Inc. National Van Lines, Inc. Nika Corporate Housing Northern Air Cargo, LLC Northern Neck Transfer Inc. Omega World Travel Omnitracs, LLC One Network Enterprises, Inc. ORBCOMM PD Systems, Inc.

DGC International Enterprise Management Systems HLI Government Services JAS Forwarding John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences Kalitta Charters, LLC Lineage Logistics LMJ International Logistics, LLC Lynden, Inc. MacGregor USA, Inc. Move One Logistics

Perfect Logistics, LLC Pilot Freight Services PODS Enterprises LLC Port of Beaumont Ports America Portus Preferred Systems Solutions, Inc. Prestera Trucking, Inc. PTS Worldwide Radiant Global Logistics Radisson Hotel Group Ramar Transportation, Inc. Ryzhka International LLC Sabre SAIC Savi SeaCube Containers Seafarers International Union of NA, AGLIW SecureSystem US, Inc. SEKO Logistics Sixt rent a car LLC Southwest Airlines StarForce National Corporation Stevens Global Logistics, Inc. Swan Transportation Services The Margarthe Group, LLC The Roosevelt Group TMM, Inc. Transport Investments, Inc. Travelport Trusted Internet, LLC TTX Company Tucker Company Worldwide, Inc. United Airlines United Van Lines, Inc. Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. US Premier Locations Women In Trucking Association, Inc. World Fuel Services – Defense Solutions YRC Worldwide

North Carolina State Ports Authority NovaVision Inc. Overdrive Logistics, Inc. Patriot Contract Services, LLC PITT OHIO Port Canaveral Port of Port Arthur Port of San Diego Priority Worldwide Seatac Marine Services TechGuard Security Trans Global Logistics Europe GmbH

UNIVERSITIES Critical Infrastructure Resilience Institute – University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign McKendree University

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Cont’d from Pres. Corner pg. 7

Up for consideration at NDTA is the forming of a PART 135 subcommittee under the MAAC. I highlight it here because this is another critical logistics capability packaged by some very clever and insightful folks at USTRANSCOM—with encouragement from our MAAC.

throughput enhancements; potential for an infrastructure bill impacting transportation; blockchain for protection from counterfeit parts; and cyber protection and standards for operating machinery and IT systems. These are just a few of the many actions on which NDTA and our committees are focused. There are many others. What effects will 5G have on logistics? Quantum computing and quantum networking. Where is the Transportation Management System leading us? Where are the crown jewels of logistics in the Pacific? These are all questions our Distribution Committee is working to answer. One area I am particularly pleased to see developing at USTRANSCOM is the PART 135 air carrier program. Our Military Aviation Advisory Committee (MAAC) Chairman, Mr. Randy Martinez, has been working with USTRANSCOM for some time to highlight and formalize the military’s capability to operate on-demand, unscheduled air service for small aircraft operators who offer critical passenger, cargo, and evacuation service to remote areas on behalf of the Combatant Commanders and their component commands. Up for consideration at NDTA is the forming of a PART 135 subcommittee under the MAAC. I highlight it here

because this is another critical logistics capability packaged by some very clever and insightful folks at USTRANSCOM— with encouragement from our MAAC. Well done and more to do! For the Department of Defense (DOD) we are watchful for changes in DOD priorities as the new administration ramps up. Will more attention be paid to China? Not just by DOD, but by the whole of government? Will our alliances and coalitions be enhanced to provide an improved deterrence effect? Will investments be made for future capabilities and forward infrastructure where needed? How will command and control of organic and commercial logistics operations be accomplished in the future? The issues I have mentioned and many more are of interest to all of us on any given day. NDTA tries hard to reach you through

our newsletter, The Source. This weekly focus on logistics, transportation and geopolitical issues, important to national security, is meant to provide insights to which you might not otherwise be exposed. Sharon Lo is our Managing Editor and I encourage you to send her your article or other content ideas. She can be reached at sharon@ndtahq.com. I would also like to offer a public, “Thank You” to Sharon for her longstanding support to NDTA! Keep the dialog going and get involved. By the way, we are moving forward with our 2021 NDTA-CAS Surface Force Projection Conference (Virtual), May 18-20. Join us as we focus on the INDO-PACIFIC region and discuss the challenges of projecting forces through the strategic ports. With your help, it will be another great event! Sail Safe, Fly Safe, Roll Safe. DTJ

WELCOME Claudia Ernst

elcome Claudia Ernst to the headquarters team! Claudia has joined NDTA as the Director of Finance and Accounting. Prior to taking on this role, Claudia worked in corporate finance and accounting in the industrial paint and coatings industry. Over the past decade, this work focused primarily on taxes. She received her undergraduate degree from Georgia Tech in materials engineering and her MBA from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School. Claudia and her husband raised three sons near Cleveland, Ohio. They relocated to the DC area in 2018 as empty nesters. In her spare time, she enjoys needle and sewing crafts, listening to podcasts,

and (prior to the Pandemic) traveling to visit family. She shares NDTA’s strong ties to the US military: Her father enlisted in the Air Force and served during the Korean Conflict, her husband was a Navy Officer (submariner), and she has two sons who serve—one is an officer in the Maryland Air National Guard, while the other graduated from West Point and is currently an Army Captain. Claudia’s goal is to contribute to the overall success of NDTA through strong financial management. She hopes to have the chance to meet many of you at this year’s Fall Meeting. In the meantime, feel free to call or email Claudia if you have any questions. DTJ

DTJ INDEX OF ADVERTISERS American President Lines, Ltd.......................... 31

CWTSatoTravel.................................................. 7

FedEx Government Services............................. 32

American Roll-on Roll-off Carrier (ARC)............ 13

Drury Hotels.................................................... 24

Landstar Transportation Logistics, Inc.............. 25

Bennett Motor Express, LLC............................... 3

Duluth Travel Inc.............................................. 12

mLINQS........................................................... 23

Crowley Logistics, Inc........................................ 2

Enterprise Holdings............................................ 4

National Industries for the Blind....................... 24

| Defense Transportation Journal | APRIL 2021

A Strong Capacity to Deliver From transporting essential supplies for our troops to household goods of Service Members and their families as a long-standing partner for the U.S. Military, American President Lines (APL) has proven to have the resources and know-how to be the mission critical link in your supply chains. APL offers weekly U.S. Flag services linking North America to Asia, the Mediterranean, Africa, the Middle East and Guam. To learn more about how we can support you, visit www.apl.com.

www.ndtahq.com |

We’re not in the military, but we’re proud to serve the U.S. We take our job and yours very seriously. At FedEx, you can count on us for access to networks in more than 220 countries and territories and the flexibility to handle anything that comes your way. And you can trust that there’s pride in everything we do.

| Defense Transportation Journal | APRIL 2021