Defense Transportation Journal

The Fall Meeting Wrap-Up Issue

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

GRAPHIC DESIGN & PRODUCTION MANAGER

Debbie Bretches

ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR

Bob Schotta bschotta@cjp.com

ADVERTISING & PRODUCTION

Carden Jennings Publishing Co., Ltd. Custom Publishing Division 375 Greenbrier Drive, Suite 100 Charlottesville, VA 22901 434-817-2000 x330 • F 434-817-2020

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.

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

VADM William A. Brown, USN (Ret.) President & CEO

COL Craig Hymes, USA (Ret.) Senior VP Operations Claudia Ernst Director, Finance and Accounting Lee Matthews VP Marketing and Corporate Development Jennifer Reed Operations Manager Leah Ashe Membership Manager Rebecca Jones Executive Assistant to the President & CEO

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.

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

NDTA FOUNDATION HALL OF FAME

As

DEFENSE TRANSPORTATION JOURNAL

tatement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation as required by the Act of August 12, 1970; Section 3685, United States Code, for Defense Transportation Journal, published bi-monthly at Alexandria, Virginia, for September 2022. 1. Location of known office of publication: 50 South Pickett St., Suite 220, Alexandria, VA 22304. 2. Location of the headquarters of general business office of the publisher: 50 South Pickett St., Suite 220, Alexandria, VA 22304.

3. Publisher: National Defense Transportation Association, 50 S. Pickett St., Suite 220, Alexandria, VA 22304; Publisher, VADM William Brown, USN (Ret.); Managing Editor, Sharon Lo.

4. Owner: National Defense Transportation Association, 50 South Pickett St., Suite 220, Alexandria, VA 22304-7296 (an incorporated association).

5. Known bondholders, mortgages, and other security holders owning or holding 1 percent or more of total amount of bonds, mortgages or other securities: There are none.

6. Average number of copies each issue during the preceding 12 months: Total 4,656; paid circulation by mail, 4,272; sales through dealers, carrier or other means, 181; free distribution by mail or other means, 0; total distribution 4,606; copies not distributed, 50. Percent paid and/or requested circulation: 93%. Sharon Lo, Managing Editor.

•

•

•

I

hope everyone has a safe, healthy and happy Holiday Season with your loved ones. It is very important that we care for and support those we love and who love us. We at the NDTA Headquarters are grateful for a truly outstanding year in 2022 and we appreciate all that the membership has done to ensure a strong logistics and transportation enterprise. I cannot say thank you enough to our staff and all of our members who are volunteers, all of whom contribute to our Nation’s freedom to live “a life worth living.” We are equally thankful for the strong partnerships we have with various government entities such as USTRANSCOM and

its components AMC, MSC, and SDDC, as well as DLA, DTMO, GSA, the Joint Staff, MARAD, OSD, and others. We hope 2023 brings security and mission success to all service members deployed around the world— on land, on the sea, in the air and in space.

The 2022 National Defense Strategy and the USTRANSCOM Strategy, recently published in October 2022, nest together to give the Logistics and Transportation community an excellent sight-picture of the way ahead for the next decade. Please take the time to study these documents—especially if you are a young leader, who will be impacted the most! There will be a continued, re-enforced focus

•

on the INDO-PACIFIC Region—in particular regarding China and North Korea. Partnerships with allies and friends will continue to be a key tenant along with leveraging new technologies and quick, digitally supported options to gain decision advantage over those who challenge the values of democracy. These seminal documents also confirm that our forces will continue to deploy and exercise in support of pre-established “campaigns.”

VADM William A. Brown, USN (Ret.)

FAST. CONVENIENT. RELIABLE.

Proudly serving our U.S. military throughout the Pacific, Matson is the third largest and most reliable carrier of sustainment cargo worldwide for the U.S. Transportation Command (USTC), achieving an aggregate Monthly Carrier Performance score of 97.4 for 2021. For more information, speak with one of our shipping experts at (800) 4-MATSON or visit Matson.com.

USTRANSCOM Strategy: Underwriting the Lethality of the Joint Force

By US Transportation Command Public Affairs

Commander of the US Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), Gen Jacqueline D. Van Ovost, USAF, ushered in a new command strategy to guide command priorities with purpose to close capability gaps and achieve success.

“Make no mistake, the actions we take today will have a profound effect on our ability to project and sustain a combat credible Joint Force in contested environments, and build resilience against climate change and other transboundary challenges,” said Van Ovost. “To remain successful, USTRANSCOM must be ready to project power today and tomorrow, and we will only achieve this together.”

The command strategy, designed to enable national defense priorities, focuses the global mobility enterprise on mission imperatives needed to address threats in the changing strategic and operational landscape.

The 2022 National Defense Strategy (NDS) directs the future Joint Force to be lethal, resilient, sustainable, survivable, agile and responsive. The reputation of USTRANSCOM has been validated through successes during Operation Allies Refuge (OAR) and throughout the delivery of aid to Ukraine, but Van Ovost addressed that strategic competition has become a reality, and the freedom of maneuver we currently enjoy across largely uncontested environments is not guaranteed.

“The USTRANSCOM mission faces threats and while potential competitors are

not invincible, the threats are real and imperative to change is urgent,” said Van Ovost. “We cannot rest on past successes, nor cede any advantage to our competitors. We must accelerate the momentum we have generated enterprise-wide to meet these challenges.”

HOW WE WILL GET THERE

The command strategy outlines the way forward and addresses that operations, activities and investments must balance the enterprise’s attention on today’s requirements, while preparing to meet those of tomorrow.

“To maximize our role across the spectrum of competition and conflict, we will align our campaigning objectives across the primary elements of our Warfighting Framework,” said Van Ovost.

Global Mobility Posture, a foundation of power projection, depends on operational access, basing, overflight and strong relationships with allies and partners. Van Ovost stated that global transportation networks must be expanded and strengthened to facilitate the ability to aggregate force packages to fight during brief periods of localized domain superiority and then disaggregate to survive.

Global Mobility Capacity is the ability to fully mobilize the Total Force at the point of need, using rail, motor transport, sealift, air refueling and airlift. USTRANSCOM relies on the ability to transition seamlessly between defense and commercial capacity, in tight coordination with interagency

partners, the Joint Staff, Military Departments and other Combatant Commands. When necessary, USTRANSCOM must maintain the ability to rapidly increase capacity through emergency preparedness programs like the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF), Voluntary Intermodal Sealift Agreement (VISA) and Voluntary Tanker Agreement (VTA).

Global Command, Control, and Integration is the ability to plan, coordinate, synchronize and control operations at echelon. Van Ovost stated that emerging technology like artificial intelligence and machine learning will allow the command to increase capabilities, by sensing demand and pushing sustainment without prompting, enabling faster tempo and preventing logistics from being the cause for failure on the battlefield.

“Our ability to transform data into decisions faster than our competitors is paramount,” said Van Ovost. “We must leverage these technologies to help sense and make sense of data at scale to create decision advantage for our leaders.”

Van Ovost addressed that as an enterprise, USTRANSCOM will be the engine that propels the NDS by underwriting the lethality of the Joint Force and ensuring the viability of deterrence options, while providing strategic flexibility.

“I remain confident we are headed in the right direction, but we will need to accelerate our momentum as an enterprise to generate systemic advantages against our competitors. We have an imperative to provide the Nation with options to deter aggression below the threshold of war and present our competitors with multiple dilemmas to give them pause,” said Van Ovost.

USTRANSCOM exists as a warfighting combatant command to project and sustain military power at a time and place of the nation’s choosing. Powered by dedicated men and women, USTRANSCOM underwrites the lethality of the Joint Force, advances American interests around the globe and provides our nation’s leaders with strategic flexibility to select from multiple options, while creating multiple dilemmas for our adversaries.

“Because of the amazing individuals working each day with urgency to advance our priorities, I know we will adapt and innovate to protect our Nation’s vital interests,” said Van Ovost. “I see the path ahead clearly—and we will rise together to the challenge!” DTJ

KC 46 Endurance Flies RecordBreaking Mission

Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

In a feat of air mobility endurance, a KC-46A Pegasus from the 157th Air Refueling Wing flew a non-stop mission half-way around the globe and back, November 16-17, 2022.

The point-to-point, 36-hour, 16,000mile, multi-crew, Total Force sortie was the longest such mission in the history of Air Mobility Command, the active duty major command to which the 157th is aligned.

Gen Mike Minihan, the AMC commander, has relentlessly driven the command to find new ways to employ current assets in anticipation of a future fight.

“This extended mission is yet another example of capable Airmen taking charge and moving out to accelerate our employment of the KC-46A,” said Minihan. “This Total Force mission boldly highlights the imperative to think differently, change the way we do business, and provide options to the Joint Force.”

Leaving from the East Coast of the United States on a cold and rain-soaked morning, the crew flew west across the country and out into the Pacific Ocean. After overflying Hawaii, the crew flew across the International Dateline to Guam, before turning around and retracing their steps home to New Hampshire, where they landed on the evening of November 17th, 36-hours to the minute after they launched.

Maj Bill Daley, the mission’s aircraft com-

mander and a traditional member of the New Hampshire Air National Guard, said the flight demonstrated the jet’s abilities to project and connect the joint force through its capacity for endurance, aircrew sustainment, refueling, situational awareness and connectivity, and airborne mission planning.

The KC-46A Pegasus provides strategic flexibility to the Air Force through its unique blend of persistence and presence. It takes a continuous supply of fuel to stay aloft for hours on end. Since every KC46A can itself be refueled in flight, each aircraft can persist in operations areas to provide sustained support to armed aircraft. The endurance mission put these capabilities on display, taking on fuel three times throughout the flight and delivering gas to F-22 fighters while flying a closedloop pattern off the coast of Hawaii.

The crew also leveraged the KC-46A’s secure and unclassified networks and situational awareness systems, which allow for a broad array of future uses. The platform’s situational awareness capabilities enable its protection in contested environments.

It takes more than gas to stay in the air—the crew must also be sustained, and this was another refueling barrier tested and shattered on the mission. Taking turns at the stick were two aircrews from the NH Air National Guard’s 133rd Air Refueling Squadron and one active duty crew from

the affiliated 64th Aerial Refueling Squadron. While one crew flew, the other two rested, taking advantage of the modern amenities provided by the jet.

According to Daley, earlier generations of refuelers lacked the basics needed to sustain crews for long-duration, multi-day missions. He said the old jets were incredibly uncomfortable and could go from hot to cold, contributing to crew fatigue. The Pegasus is a stark contrast to this.

“It’s like flying with first-class service,” said Daley, who is a civilian airline pilot when not flying for the Guard.

The KC-46A is climate controlled and comes equipped with kitchen, crew bunks and a lavatory. The configurability of the cargo area also allows for the placement of airline-style seats and additional sleeping areas to accommodate larger crews. For the endurance mission, a palletized kitchen and lavatory was also added to support the crew of 16 that included boom operators, aircraft maintainers, and a flight surgeon.

To pass the long hours when not on duty, the crew, spent time reading, watching movies, preparing meals, and sleeping in cots spread out through the cargo area.

Master Sgt Michael Windy, a 133rd Aerial Refueling Squadron boom operator who had nearly 3,000 hours of flight time on the KC-135 before converting to the KC-46, agreed with Daley on the increased comfort levels on the new aircraft that make missions like this one possible. With only a few hours remaining in the endurance sortie, Windy said he felt rested and comfortable.

“I was on the 22-hour sortie we flew to Saipan a few months ago, so I already had an idea of what to expect,” said Windy, who worked hard to keep the rest of the crew comfortable and fed. “I really haven’t noticed that much of a difference in how I feel.”

Senior Airman Paige Dunleavy, a 157th Air Refueling Wing avionics technician, said this was her first-ever trip with a crew.

“The joke is that my first TDY is to Pease,” she said of the unusual point-topoint mission.

As a newer Airman who is in upgrade training, it was an excellent opportunity to see first-hand how the crew uses the systems she maintains.

“I definitely learned things and it was the first time I was able to troubleshoot a system in-flight,” she said, indicating the

Article and photos by Senior Master Sgt. Timothy Huffman, 157th

NDTA-USTRANSCOM Fall Meeting

Defense Transportation & Logistics… Evolving the Strategic Advantage

October 17-20, 2022 St. Louis Union Station Hotel • St. Louis, Missouri

official

by Katherine

The 2022 Fall Meeting Showcases Public-Private Partnership

By Sharon Lo, Managing Editor, DTJ & The Source

The NDTA-USTRANSCOM Fall Meeting took place October 17-20, 2022, at the St. Louis Union Station Hotel in St. Louis, Missouri. The event provided attendees from government, military, and industry the opportunity to gather together to identify and solve logistics and transportation issues together, learn about new technologies, develop best practices, and build professional and personal relationships.

The theme for the meeting, Defense Transportation & Logistics…Evolving the Strategic Advantage, explored the highly contested and competitive environment and addressed the challenges faced by US logistics and transportation systems with intent and desire to outperform the country’s peers in all domains and geographic locations. NDTA President VADM William A. Brown, USN (Ret.), served as Master of Ceremonies during the event.

The meeting agenda included general sessions with five keynote speakers and two moderated roundtable discussions. The annual Transportation Academy, held in conjunction with the Fall Meeting each year, consisted of 64 interactive classes taught by subject matter experts. The Expo Hall & Resource Center facilitated networking and information sharing. The week also featured a wide variety of meetings including those geared toward government, industry, NDTA Committees, and Young Leaders.

Fall Meeting attendees encompass a wide range of military, government, industry, and academic leaders who come together with the shared goal of strengthening the Defense transportation and logistics enterprise.

“Ultimately, we are all here this week because we share a love for this country and a desire to build and maintain a strong national security,” summarized NDTA Chairman John Dietrich during his welcoming comments.

He also added that, “as a member of industry, we look forward to this event every year because it is an environment for healthy dialog with senior leaders and, importantly, future leaders. Likewise, industry comes to the Fall Meeting to showcase our commitment to the Department of Defense—as full partners in peacetime and in times of conflict—industry will always support you.”

More information on the NDTA-USTRANSCOM Fall Meeting—and from past Fall Meetings—including additional articles, videos, and slides can be found on NDTA’s website at www.ndtahq.com. Next year’s conference will take place in Orlando, Fla. from October 31-November 3, 2023. We hope you will make it a priority to join us as we continue to deliver…together!

With Us All the Way: Van Ovost Addresses Transportation and Logistics Experts

By USTRANSCOM Public Affairs

On the first day of the NDTA-USTRANSCOM Fall Meeting, US Air Force Gen. Jacqueline D. Van Ovost, Commander, USTRANSCOM,

addressed a combined audience of service members and commercial industry about the necessity of partnership while rapidly adapting to the realities of strategic competition.

“The theme of ‘evolving the strategic advantage’ is well timed,” Van Ovost said during her keynote address. “We need you with us, all the way.”

Van Ovost used the command’s accomplishments during Operation Allies Refuge (OAR) and deliveries of aid to Ukraine as recent, notable examples partnership, both of which harnessed the power of the entire logistics enterprise—military and civilian.

“Our logistical prowess remains on full display as we balance the rigors of our global mission, while ensuring Ukraine receives the aid necessary to defend their nation,” she said. “I’ll bet President Putin wishes he had transportation and logistics experts like you.”

Since its inception over three decades ago, the professionals of USTRANSCOM “maintain our readiness to fight tonight, while keeping a keen eye on our ability to do so in the future,” said Van Ovost.

She recognized that the constant evolution of adapting and working together, both industry and Department of Defense, to meet the “strategic needs of our nation is nothing new.”

Regaling the story of the first time the USTRANSCOM Commander, General Duane Cassidy, addressed members of NDTA, she noted that “even back then,

he understood that achieving this goal was only possible through the special relationship between the military and transportation industry.”

This relationship has been on full display as security assistance deliveries have been flowing into Ukraine, despite the enterprise executing in a “manner much dif-

ferent than the preceding years, and with cargo and to destinations not forecasted, and at a pace and scale no other organization can replicate.”

Van Ovost went on to explain the success in Europe is “the result of decades of deliberately developing our global posture and network, the application of our combined capacity, and the ability to command and control our forces with precision.”

However, the freedom of maneuver across largely uncontested environments is not guaranteed and the strategic and operational landscape continues to change “as our country once again engages in strategic global competition,” Van Ovost said.

She specifically cited China as our most “consequential strategic competitor”, and how along with Russia, they are “working overtime to undermine democracy and export a model of governance marked by repression at home and coercion abroad.”

To combat these more complex, emerg

outlines the organization’s way forward and addresses how operations, activities and investments must balance the enterprise’s attention on today’s requirements, while preparing to meet tomorrow’s.

“You’ll find the command’s priorities are designed to meet the realities of the contested environment that we operate in and challenges we must address,” said Van Ovost. “To compete effectively, we must have agile, resistant, survivable, and sustainable logistics – all leading to delivering lethality.”

Van Ovost said that as an enterprise, USTRANSCOM and industry partners will “play an increasingly critical role in achieving our national defense objectives” by underwriting the lethality of the Joint Force and ensuring the viability of deterrence options, while providing flexibility to the nation’s leaders.

“We will work to increase our interoperability,” she said. “This includes empowering our people and partners to develop

that will ensure we can compete now and in the future.”

“Our time is now... the stakes are high, and success is only possible if you’re with us all the way,” she said. “…because together, we deliver!”

The Rise of the Chinese TechnoSecurity State

By Sharon Lo, Managing Editor, DTJ & The Source

Dr. Tai Ming Cheung, Professor and Director of the University of California Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, described the technosecurity domain as where national security, technological innovation, military power, and economic development converge. It

The presentation focused on the growing economic, technological, and military power of the Chinese state under its current leadership. The comments were especially timely, coming just a week after the release of the 2022 US National Security Strategy which calls China, “the only competitor with both the intent to reshape the international order and, increasingly, the economic, diplomatic, military, and technological power to do it.”

From a historical perspective, Cheung said that people often compare current

confronting the Communist party. In his reconceptualization of national security, most dangerous threats are internal, nontraditional, political, and emerging. This paradigm shift effectively transformed a benign threat environment into a hostile threat environment.

In response to these perceived threats, Xi has worked to increase internal security, as well as strengthen and modernize his country’s military. His focus is on increasing the quality of Chinese forces and he has formed a timeline, grand vision, and reorganization strategy to achieve this goal. Given the escalating competition with the US, last year Xi accelerated some of his timelines in order to keep the US out of the Indo-Pacific.

Establishing a fully integrated militarycivil innovation and industrial system is key to unlocking China’s vast techno-security potential. However, overcoming stovepipes makes this a challenging endeavor and much work remains, including opening the defense acquisition system to civilian companies and establishing large-scale joint research and engineering facilities.

tion of capabilities to convince potential adversaries that the costs of their hostile activities outweigh their benefit. It is also a key element in the recently released National Security Strategy.

“The threats of the modern era are global vice regional,” said Sergeant Major James Porterfield, Senior Enlisted Leader, US Northern Command (USNORTHCOM). “The world as we look at it now— there are no longer regional threats, there are no boundaries. Our adversaries have global reach and have the ability to strike us in our homeland at any given time, which causes us to think in a different perspective within all domains.”

“Our way of fighting had to adapt and had to change as we look at peer competition—we believe integrated deterrence is the way to do that,” said Sergeant Major Howard Kreamer, Senior Enlisted Leader, US Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM)

US-Chinese great power competition with the Cold War during the second half of the 21st century. However, during the Cold War, the US was competing with the Soviet Union on the strategic side and with Japan on the economic side. It was a complicated and complex struggle, but the US was able to divide and conquer because of its integrated techno-security state. China’s own techno-security state, which it can leverage and build to its advantage, is a major difference in modern-day great power competition.

But while the US and China have similar techno-security states, the nature of each is different according to Cheung. The US is bottom-up and market-driven (antistatist), where the government plays an important role but it’s the private sector— and especially the public-private partnership—that is crucial. The Chinese technosecurity state is top-down and state-led (statist), giving the state overwhelming control and ability to mobilize resources. This begs the question whether a statist or anti-statist regime will have the long-term power to dominate.

Chinese national security posture changed under the leadership of its current President, Xi Jinping, whose worldview centers on domestic issues and the perils

As US-Chinese strategic competition has increased, Chinese leadership has also focused on securitizing the economy including supply chains and technological self-reliance, among other areas. Cheung explained, “what we’re seeing is this effort, increasingly, to protect, safeguard, and enhance the Chinese economy to be able to stand the decoupling, but also the increasing pressures that the US and its allies are bringing to bear.”

Enabling Integrated Deterrence; Combatant Command Perspectives

By Erik Anthony, USTRANSCOM Public Affairs

Senior enlisted leaders from five different Combatant Commands gathered at the NDTA-USTRANSCOM Fall Meeting to address how each command plays a role in enabling integrated deterrence.

The panel discussion, moderated by Fleet Master Chief Donald Myrick, Senior Enlisted Leader, USTRANSCOM, addressed multiple layers to integrated deterrence, which is the seamless combina-

Deterrence now relies on integration across all domains, across all regions, across the spectrum of conflict, across the US government and integration with allies and partners.

“The idea of integrated deterrence brings together the entire force, which includes interagency, all our allies and partners, the private sectors, nongovernmental organizations and academia to counter cross-cutting threats,” said Command Sergeant Major Benjamin Jones, Senior Enlisted Leader, US Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM).

The panel members discussed the necessity of being able to operate across land, air, maritime, space and cyber domains, and about the importance of leveraging data throughout operations.

“Data and information is going to be the way ahead,” said Porterfield. “Those with the information are going to win.”

Myrick added that the military can’t posture its way out of future fights.

“We better be ready now and in the future. To that end, cyber domain mission assurance has got to be a priority,” said Myrick. “The complexity of future operations requires us to treat data as a strategic asset.”

Integrated deterrence also requires the Department of Defense to more effectively coordinate, network and innovate.

When developing and fielding new products, the DOD often looks to industry for assistance.

“We’re no longer solely focused on a whole of government approach, because it’s very

myopic and focuses singularly on one set of parts,” said Master Gunnery Sergeant Scott Stalker, Senior Enlisted Leader, US Space Command (USSPACECOM). “We’re now focused on a now a whole of society, which includes our commercial partners.”

Stalker added that after gaps and needs are identified, there is tremendous value in releasing creativity within the commercial sector.

“We should not so much be telling them [industry] specifically what they need to

build, rather we need to talk about the environment and what the commander needs to complete their mission, so that we can unleash industry to create things,” said Stalker.

Myrick went on to describe the crucial role the commercial industry plays in USTRANSCOM’s mission.

“As I sit here and look out at the audience, I’m reminded that TRANSCOM’s ability to deliver an immediate force tonight and a decisive force when needed is inex-

tricably linked to our commercial partners, said Myrick. “The Joint Deployment and Distribution Enterprise is dependent upon the capacity, the networks, and the expertise that industry contributes. I think that’s one of the unique things about how we operate.”

VCJCS Describes Logistical Challenges in Global Security Environment

By David Vergun, DOD News

Logistical and other warfighting strategies focus first and foremost on the threat, and that informs all decisions and actions taken by the Defense Department, Navy Admiral Christopher W. Grady, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said. Grady’s comments came during his keynote address at the 2022 NDTA-USTRANSCOM Fall Meeting.

Sustaining Ukraine with military assistance using presidential drawdown authorities is a great example of focus on the

DOD photo by Sgt. Vontrae Hampton

threat, he said, describing the complexities and challenges of working with industry to meet production goals for that effort.

Industry, for all the right reasons, has gone to this just-in-time model. That works well in a peacetime environment, but not so well for wartime where inventory needs to be ramped up, he said.

Regarding munitions destined to support Ukraine’s defense, what’s the right balance between the size of the stockpile and the production line of munitions? Just-in-time may not work, Grady said.

Discussions about incentivizing chief executive officers in industry to meet the

For instance, there were once 26 shipyards and there are now just four, he said.

Another problem is the complexity of DOD systems. During World War II, shipyards were turning out about one Liberty ship every three days. Turning out that many destroyers today in that timeframe would be impossible due to their complexity.

There’s also the challenge of global force deployment in the face of challenges not only from Russia, but also from China, North Korea, Iran and terrorist organizations. Force posture must be continually reevaluated to avoid spreading forces too thin and being in the right place at the right time, he said.

Fortunately, the United States doesn’t go it alone. There’s great value in allies and partners who also bring their own innovations to the table, he said.

Gaining Strategic Advantage Through Cybersecure Operational Innovation

By Sharon Lo, Managing Editor, DTJ & The Source

by USTRANSCOM Commander Gen Jacqueline Van Ovost, “we need to speed up our effective collaboration solutions to meet the accelerating threats.”

Okoye went on to explain how in 2013, cyber criminals gained access to tens of millions of credit and debit card, and customer records from Target. The attack vector through which the criminals gained entry was a small, local HVAC vendor that, as a service vendor for one of the company’s stores, had access to one of the company’s procurement systems.

“It’s a reminder, again going back to ADM Grady’s words, that really we have to look at the defense transportation enterprise in particular as a community of ecosystem members, and we’re only going to crack this puzzle if we have an appreciation for the role that each of us plays,” said Okoye.

needs of the department for the long term are taking place at the highest levels in the department, he noted.

Another issue involves finding enough of the right workers, he said. “Where do we get the people that will man the ships, that will be the engineers on the trains, that will drive the trucks, that will fly the planes?”

Grady also touched on innovation. During World War II, about 40% of the research and development was coming out of the department. Today, it’s a fraction of that. Therefore, knowing how to leverage industry for the right innovation needed is critical, he said.

The Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC) provides acquisition review of that, in consultation with industry, he said.

The JROC is chaired by Grady. Other members of the council are the second highest-ranking military officers of each of the Defense Department services.

Supply chain vulnerabilities also exist, he said. “The nature of the defense industrial base has changed significantly. Part of that is due to contraction of the supply chain.”

The NDTA-USTRANSCOM Fall Meeting agenda featured panel presentation, Gaining Strategic Advantage Through Cybersecure Operational Innovation, moderated by Ms. Chiderah Okoye, Executive Director, Venly Institute Okoye set the tone for the discussion by sharing the commander’s intent as stated

Within discussion on the all-domain contested environment, cyber is one domain that is certain to be contested. While some may overlook cyber as a warfighting domain, panelist Brig Gen Michelle Hayworth, USAF, Director of Command, Control, Communications and Cyber (C4) Systems, USTRANSCOM, disagrees, “in my mind, cyber is another domain just like air, land, [and] sea that an adversary can use to help them achieve their objectives.”

She explained that nation-state actors, such as Russia and China, are already using cyber to achieve their objectives. Russia has used destructive cyber-attacks, network penetration and espionage, and cyber influence operations as part of its

DOD photo by Sgt. Vontrae Hampton

war against Ukraine. China conducts day to day cyber operations and espionage as part of its military national strategy in order to help accelerate its military force modernization. Aside from nation-states, threats also exist from actors that are politically or social motivated (“hacktivists”), and cyber criminals.

Panel member Lt Gen Robert Skinner, USAF, Joint Force Headquarters - Department of Defense Information Network, shared that understanding one’s cyber terrain and understanding the critical impact cyber has on the mission is most important.

“The prioritization is really key and, so, understanding that mission criticality, understanding how the cyber domain affects your mission, is very important to then be able to decisively act. In today’s environment, if we’re not decisively acting based on that threat, based on the criticality, and based on the mission, then not acting is actually acting,” said Skinner.

Panelist Mr. John Biagioni, President, Lampin Corporation, shared that he viewed cyber in a threat versus a thrive model. “I believe that to create a compelling future for the company, we have to integrate cyber.” He added that this ties to the company to not just grow, but to grow securely.

Biagioni explained his understanding of his company’s place within the greater interconnected cyber ecosystem, as well as the company’s connection to the shared mission across that ecosystem.

According to panel member Mr. Jason Zander, Executive Vice President, Microsoft, there is a need to determine how to take advantage of industry investments in cyber and how to implement those solutions at scale.

For example, Microsoft will be investing $20 billion in cyber security over the next five years. Zander asked the audience to consider how such an investment could meet the government’s requirements, and then be turned into something turnkey that everyone can use: “How do we take that broader industry investment and make that something that is simple, that is easy to go use, that implements zero trust by default, so that if I can take advantage of that technology, I’m getting that investment on my behalf—and just given the breadth of the problem we have to solve, that just has to be part of the solution that we come back with.”

A Commander’s Reflections on Leading Digital Change

By Sharon Lo, Managing Editor, DTJ & The Source

“There is one thing that our two nations have in common when it comes to our armed services: We take bright, hard-charging, dedicated men and women, who want to join their insti-

tutions to see the world and make a difference. We then train them, we send them to the four corners of the planet, and they excel on missions assigned by our governments,” said VAdm (Ret.) Ron Lloyd, 35th Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy.

“In terms of differences however, whereas your Navy is given a budget and then decides where it is going to be allocated, that’s not the case in Canada. There is one budget, government approves it, and then gives it to the Chief of Defense staff and the Deputy Minister, and then it is divided

up amongst 21 level-one organizations,” he explained.

Another difference he described between US and Canadian forces, are that as the Commander of the Navy he did not have all the functional authorities.

Lloyd, who previously served as the Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), provided a keynote at the NDTAUSTRANSCOM Fall Meeting on lessons learned on the RCN’s journey to leverage digital capability across the spectrum of operations to include logistics and sustainment operations.

In 2017, a new Canadian defense policy reaffirmed its missions and committed to the largest recapitalization of the RCN in the country’s peacetime history. Digital was very important in this context to provide the ability to fully leverage new technology—and should be fundamental when undergoing such a significant recapitalization.

Lloyd shared lessons he learned over the course of leading the RCN’s digital journey. In order to lead the digital efforts, he had to own and understand what digital really meant. He also had to communicate to help shape the narrative and ensure everyone understood the “why.” In addition, a succession plan is needed, so these les-

partner(s) and elevate the procurement dialog to identify the processes that are not aligned to timely, effective digital procurement and amend them.

Supply Chain Resiliency and the Need for Stress-Tests

By Sharon Lo, Managing Editor, DTJ & The Source

deterioration, while facilities with long TTS values will provide saving opportunities. PI is the impact of a disruption for the duration of the TTR on a performance measure. This impact is either financial or operational.

Simchi-Levi provided four insights into achieving supply chain excellence:

• Risks are hidden in unexpected places.

• Assumptions about risks being associated with certain geographies or certain sized suppliers often prove to be wrong.

sons will be known by future leaders prior to them being in charge.

“Leadership-led is essential, but it has to be underpinned by effective governance to ensure a successful digital transformation. If you think you are overcommunicating your digital vision and risk tolerance, you are probably just beginning to communicate enough,” Lloyd summarized.

He further recommended military leverage industry, industry best practices and digital solutions. In addition, military leaders identify end-to-end digital strategic

esiliency, much like LEAN, is a philosophy, which means that companies need to balance efficiency which is all about cost reduction, resiliency, and business performance.

“R

And in order to achieve that, you need to implement or to develop a digital twin of your supply chain, start with supply chain mapping, and use new KPI (new Key Performance Indicators) like Time-to-Recover [TTR], Time-to-Survive [TTS], and Performance Impact [PI],” explained Dr. David Simchi-Levi, Professor of Engineering Systems, MIT, and keynote speaker at the NDTA-USTRANSCOM Fall Meeting. He added that these KPIs allow companies to identify hidden risks and better respond to supply chain disruption.

TTR is the time it takes to recover to full functionality after a disruption. This is associated with a specific scenario or disruption and there is a limit to our ability to generate all the possible scenarios that could occur. It is also challenging to validate TTR information from suppliers. TTS is the maximum duration that the supply chain can match supply with demand after a disruption. TTS is scenario independent. Facilities with short TTS values will lead to immediate performance

• A supply chain can be highly resilient and highly unaffordable so the pinpointing the right places to invest in capacity, flexibility, or inventory positioning is critical.

• A data analytics approach that combines time-to-survive and time-torecover concepts allows companies to stress test their supply chain and is critical for making the right risk mitigation decisions.

“When we think about supply chain resiliency, we need to understand the financial impact on business,” said Simchi-Levi.

Summarizing supply chain resiliency, Simchi-Levi said, “All the performance measures that I highlighted are all about—not the state of the supply chain right now— they’re all about the state of the supply chain six, seven, eight, ten weeks from now so that if I can identify a potential problem that will hit my supply chain eight weeks from now, I can take mitigation strategies today before the problem happens.”

Evolving Energy Needs, Technology and Supporting Infrastructure

By Sharon Lo, Managing Editor, DTJ & The Source

An NDTA-USTRANSCOM Fall Meeting panel presentation, moderated by Mr. Guy Beougher, (SES Retired), Vice President of DOD/Federal Logistics, Supply Chain and Energy, Cypress International, explored energy requirements to deploy and sustain the force in the context of new energy policy, guidance and the ever-evolving technology powering vehicles, trains, ships, and aircraft. Beougher

began by stating that the US must “own” climate, meaning the country must be able to operate and choose when to fight regardless of the climate. He likened this to how innovations such as night vision have allowed the US military to “own” (be able to operate during) the night.

Beougher shared that for first time in the DOD budget for 2023 there was an energy initiative associated with combating climate. A little over $3 billion was budgeted. Of that amount, approximately $27 million was for contingency preparedness, $1.9 billion for installation resiliency and adaptation, $247 million for operational inventory and buying power, and $806 million for science and technology.

“Military effects are energy transactions,” said panelist Maj Nicole Pearl, USAF, Innovative Solutions/Disruptive Technologies Strategist, US Air Force Futures.

“There’s really no node or linkage either in our kill chain or the kill chains of our adversaries that are not energy transactions. Our dominance as a Nation, along with our partners and allies, can be summarized by the fact that we have energy superiority. And, simply put, if you can move energy more effectively than your adversaries that’s how you gain and sustain decisive advantages.”

However, that superiority comes at a cost. DOD is the world’s largest institutional consumer of energy/petroleum, accounting for 77% of the entire US Government’s energy expenditure. And, superiority is not something that the US can just count on. Rather, it must be pur-

sued and pursued under challenge from our adversaries.

“We need energy in the battlespace, we need an incredible amount of it, it’s costly, the supply chains are cumbersome, and they are vulnerable to attack. [It] also turns out the energy we need to use either is affected by or contributing to climate change,” said Pearl.

The recently released Department of the Airforce Climate Action Plan looks at how to address these challenges in concert with one another. The plan’s three priorities are to maintain air and space dominance in the face of climate change, make climate informed decisions, and optimize energy use and pursue alternative energy sources.

“The US energy supply is shifting right now and this is occurring not just in the US, but it’s also occurring around the world based on cost,” shared panel mem-

ber Mr. Scott Cary, Ports and Airports Project Manager, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

Currently, he added, some of the historic fuels are going down in terms of their availability—primarily coal. Nuclear is staying stable, but has a high implementation cost. Natural gas is playing a larger role. The cost of renewable is going down drastically, which is increasing saturation.

This creates a blend that is changing the historic ways for obtaining energy. Specifically, light duty vehicles are moving toward electrification. Heavy-duty vehicles are moving toward hybridization. Rail is using a combination of electrification, hydrogen and traditional fuels. In maritime there is a combination of liquid fuels and variations on hydrogen. For aviation, the primary energy source is liquid fuels.

Panelist Ms. Erin Timmons, Director of Energy, Crowley Solutions, provided an industry perspective to the conversation. In addition to shared cost, commercial is considering shared risk as it pertains to new energies.

“Our goal is to eliminate the fragmentation in our DOD supply chain,” said Timmons before explaining that her company will sometimes have more than one Service in the same COCOM ask them for the same thing. In these scenarios, industry can act as an integrator.

Timmons further explained that, “we [industry] want to be a multiplier—a force multiplier. We don’t want to come and take over, but we want to extend your capability where it ends. And, that takes a partnership—that takes that partnership early and often, especially in those spaces where it requires a large capital investment from the commercial.” DTJ

Thank You Fall Meeting Issue Advertisers

During the NDTA-USTRANSCOM Fall Meeting, DTJ caught up with advertisers from the October issue. Thank you to American President Lines, American Roll-on Roll-off Carrier, Amtrak, Bennett Motor Express, Carlile, Crowley Logistics, FedEx Government Services, Kalitta Air, Landstar Transportation Logistics, Liberty Global Logistics, Maersk Line, Matson Navigation Company, National Air Cargo, PODS, Port of San Diego, PTS WORLDWIDE, SAP Concur, The Exchange - AAFES, Trailerbridge, Transportation Institute, and United Airlines. We appreciate your support!

The 2022 NDTA Exposition

As in past years, a highlight of Fall Meeting week was the NDTA Exposition. The bustling exhibit hall floor was full of booths, and in some cases vehicles or demos, from military, government, industry, and academia. The event provided a prime opportunity for members of the transportation and logistics industry to share ideas, learn from one another, and expand their professional networks.

Participation and attendance at the NDTA Exposition does not imply support or endorsement by USTRANSCOM, its component commands, or any other US government entity.

CHAIRMAN’S CIRCLE

HONOR ROLL OF SUSTAINING MEMBERS AND REGIONAL PATRONS

ALL OF THESE FIRMS SUPPORT THE PURPOSES AND OBJECTIVES OF NDTA

SUSTAINING MEMBERS

3Sixty

Able Freight

Accenture Federal Services

Admiral Merchants Motor Freight, Inc.

Alacran

American Bureau of Shipping

American Maritime Officers

American Trucking Associations

Ameriflight, LLC

Apex Logistics International Inc.

ArcBest

Army & Air Force Exchange Service

Arven Services, LLC

At Ease Rentals Corporations

ATS Specialized, Inc.

Avis Budget Group

Baggett Transportation Company

Beltway Transportation Service

Benchmarking Partners, Inc.

Bolloré Logistics

BWH Hotel Group

Cornerstone Systems, Inc.

Council for Logistics Research

Cypress International, Inc.

Dash Point Distributing, LLC

Delta Air Lines

Drury Hotels LLC

Duluth Travel, Inc. (DTI)

EMO Trans, Inc.

Estes Forwarding Worldwide Eurpac

Eyre Bus Service, Inc.

FSI Defense, A FlightSafety International Company

GeoDecisions

Global Secure Shipping

Green Valley Transportation Corp.

Guidehouse

Hilton Worldwide Hyatt Hotels

IHG Army Hotels

Intermodal Association of North America (IANA)

REGIONAL PATRONS

ACME Truck Line, Inc.

Amyx

Atlas World Group International

C5T Corporation

CakeBoxx Technologies, LLC

CarrierDrive LLC

Cartwright International

Columbia Helicopters, Inc.

Dalko Resources, Inc.

Intermodal Logistics Consulting Inc.

International Association of Movers

International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), AFL-CIO

Interstate Moving | Relocation | Logistics

Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT)

K&L Trailer Sales and Leasing

Kansas City Southern Railway Company

Keystone Shipping Co.

Langham Logistics, Inc.

LMI

Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association

Martin Logistics Incorporated

Mayflower Transit

McCollister’s Global Services, Inc.

Mercer Transportation Company mLINQS

National Charter Bus

National Corporate Housing, Inc.

National Industries for the Blind (NIB)

National Motor Freight Traffic Association, Inc.

National Van Lines, Inc.

Nika Corporate Housing

Northern Air Cargo, LLC

Omega World Travel One Network Enterprises, Inc.

ORBCOMM

PD Systems, Inc.

Perfect Logistics, LLC

Perimeter Global Logistics (PGL)

Pilot Freight Services Placemakr

Plateau GRP

PODS Enterprises LLC

Port of Beaumont

Port of Corpus Christi Authority

Port of San Diego

Ports America

Procharter

Prosponsive Logistics

PTS Worldwide

Radiant Global Logistics

Radisson Hotel Group

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.

Move One Logistics

Ramar Transportation, Inc.

Rampart Aviation

Red Roof Inn

Ryzhka International LLC

Sabre

SAIC

Savi

SeaCube Containers

Seafarers International Union of NA, AGLIW

SEKO Logistics

Selsi International Inc.

Solera | Omnitracs

SSA Marine

St. Louis Union Station Hotel a Curio Hotel

Collection by Hilton

StarForce National Corporation

Stevens Global Logistics, Inc.

Swan Transportation Services

The DeWitt Companies

The Flight Lab Aviation Consulting LLC

The Hertz Corporation

The Roosevelt Group

The Suddath Companies

TMM, Inc.

Toll Group

TLR – Total Logistics Resource, Inc.

Trailer Bridge

Transport Investments, Inc.

Transportation Intermediaries Assn. (TIA) Travelport

Trinity Shipping Company

TTX Company

Tucker Company Worldwide, Inc.

U.S. Premier Locations

Uber Technologies, Inc.

UNCOMN

United Van Lines, Inc.

UPS

US1 Logistics

Women In Trucking Association, Inc.

World Fuel Services – Defense Solutions Yellow Corporation

North Carolina State Ports Authority

NovaVision Inc.

Overdrive Logistics, Inc.

PITT OHIO

Port Canaveral

Port of Port Arthur

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

The 2022 NDTA-USTRANSCOM Fall Meeting held 17 to 20 October in St. Louis was a tremendous educational and networking community event which advocated for these strategic imperatives. The Fall Meeting’s theme, “Defense Transportation & Logistics…Evolving the Strategic Advantage” fit perfectly with the Department of Defense and USTRANSCOM approaches discussed above. Thank you to all who participated and please use the videos we have posted on the NDTA webpage as opportunities for learning and discussion.

I look forward to seeing many of you at several upcoming NDTA engagement opportunities to include GovTravels, co-hosted with DTMO, 27 February-1 March and the Surface Force Projection Conference, co-hosted with Chris-

civilian satellite communications system reboot she and another avionics technician were called on to execute when it was giving the flight crew problems.

Near the end of the mission, Dunleavy reported feeling normal overall, though she added that the hiker in her was excited to get back to the ground after flying over the Grand Canyon on the return leg of the trip.

Maj Heidi MacVittie, a Pease flight surgeon, served as a human performance monitor aboard the flight and collected quantitative data throughout the mission. This data, along with that collected during the wing’s recent 20-hour mission, will be used to inform decision making for similar missions in the future.

“This mission was a true example of

The mission, which came nearly two months to the day after Minihan approved the KC-46A for worldwide deployments-including combat missions--was the result of the hard work and dedication of the whole wing over multiple years and ultimately demonstrated the strength they bring to the fight.

“We have a healthy fleet and demonstrated full mission-readiness with onload and offload capabilities. We could execute tomorrow if we had to,” he said. DTJ

DTJ INDEX OF ADVERTISERS

American President Lines, LLC ............................... 31

American Roll-on Roll-off Carrier (ARC) 7

Bennett Motor Express, LLC 2

Carlile 19

Crowley Logistics, Inc. 3

FedEx Government Services 32

Kalitta Air LLC 24

Landstar Transportation Logistics, Inc. ..................... 5

Liberty Global Logistics, LLC. 8

Maersk Line, Limited 4

Matson Navigation Company Inc. .......................... 12

National Air Cargo 6

PODS 21

Port of San Diego 17

PTS Worldwide, Inc. ................................................. 30

United Airlines 11

The road to

may be different for everyone. At FedEx, we understand what it takes to deliver when it counts. We salute those with the drive to never stop pushing forward.

success