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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:

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• Articles in subject areas that have significant current impact on thought and practice in defense logistics and transportation

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EDITORIAL CONTENT

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PRESIDENT’S CORNER Keep Working Together

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

Greetings NDTA Teammates. These past few months have been very busy for the Logistics Enterprise writ large. Here at NDTA, we hosted GovTravels with the Defense Travel Management Office with over 800 attendees this year. After three years, it was great to meet face-to-face once again to discuss our theme: “On the Road Again – Industry & Government Travel Rebounds!” This edition of the DTJ features some of the major issues impacting the travel industry and the government traveler.

One of my observations from GovTravels is the impact is greater for both

government and industry when we meet together, in-person, for networking and to discuss issues and solutions. Please take advantage of the GovTravels video content, including many of the general sessions and travel academy classes, on the NDTA website.

Turning our attention now to the Surface Force Projection Conference at Christopher Newport University, 15-18 May, I hope you will consider joining us. It promises to be a great event, providing an opportunity to think about the challenges associated with large-scale deployment of forces. On the subject of meetings, don’t

CHAIRMAN’S CIRCLE

• HomeSafe Alliance

• Naniq Government Services, LLC

• Sealift, Inc. (upgrade)

PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE

• PayCargo LLC

SUSTAINING

• Europcar

• J.B. Hunt Transport, Inc.

• Triangle Bus Charters Inc

forget, the 2023 NDTA-USTRANSCOM Fall Meeting is in Orlando this year! You will not want to miss it—individual registration opens at the end of May.

As I have attended meetings involving the government and industry, there are several

See Pres. Corner pg. 30

On the Road Again

SIXT Shares Car Rental Industry Trends

While SIXT rent a car may be a less familiar name for some US travelers, the company is one of the first-ever car rental companies. Founded in Germany in 1912, the global mobility provider which began with a modest fleet of three cars can now be found in approximately 115 markets worldwide. The company expanded its footprint into America in 2011. Today, SIXT locations can be found across the country.

Beyond the company’s impressive longevity and location network, SIXT has often been at the forefront of industry trends. In fact, it was the first car rental company with a website and the first to accept mobile reservations. To learn more about the company and hear what’s next for the broader industry, DTJ spoke to Tom Kennedy, President, SIXT USA & Canada.

DTJ: What major trends do you see shaping business operations within SIXT and the overall car rental industry?

Tom Kennedy: The macroeconomic outlook has brightened despite a challenging economic environment marked by high energy prices and rising inflation and interest rates. Gas prices are coming down and, though cost-conscious, people are ready to get out for new experiences. Summer travel bookings are up more than 40%, and airlines are increasing transatlantic capacity for Summer 2023. The desire to travel continues unabated. We expect demand to continue to approach pre-Covid levels.

With this, having onsite branches at the nation’s largest airports is a cornerstone of SIXT’s continued expansion and growth in North America. Our recent branch opening at DCA [Ronald Reagan National Airport] is a perfect example. Opened April 1, the SIXT DCA branch is a coveted on-airport location and is now one of the largest SIXT air-

port branches in the US. As a major hub for government, commercial, and leisure travel, DCA is a valuable location for us and we are confident we will quickly become the car rental provider of choice for the US Government and other business and leisure travelers who value a premium experience and excellent customer service at an affordable price.

We are also thrilled to have opened a new SIXT branch at Joint Base Pearl HarborHickam in Honolulu, Hawaii. For many years, SIXT has had an excellent relationship with the Army Airforce Exchange Service (AAFES) by providing mobility service on military bases in Germany and we are excited to extend this relationship to the United States with this new branch.

While the majority of our business used to be leisure/inbound business, we are facing a tremendous increase in business rentals, including government business— which is one of the most relevant revenue streams for us. SIXT expects high demand

in all markets for the traditionally strong third quarter, as the mobility needs of all customer groups are high after the end of the COVID restrictions.

After years of lockdowns, people are looking to book getaways and feeling the need to make the most out of their experiences. At the same time, post-COVID business travel continues to be on the rise. With SIXT now serving 40 of the most important airports in the US including our new DCA branch, we are more than well-positioned to meet that demand, particularly for the federal government.

DTJ: During the pandemic, rental car companies sold off large portions of their fleets. Once recovery began, shortages made replacing those vehicles very difficult. Where does your fleet recovery stand?

Tom Kennedy: Despite tight supply chains and a semiconductor crisis, we were able to increase our fleet last year and we’re proud to say we have the youngest fleet in the industry with an average mileage of 19,000 miles across our fleet.

We are currently observing that the ability of manufacturers to ship products is improving. SIXT is planning another substantial

expansion of its fleet for 2023. The premium share of our fleet was 57% in 2022, a constant level compared to 2021 and 7 percentage points higher than in 2019. Today, as in the future, we rely primarily on vehicles from European and American manufacturers. With new partners, we take great care to ensure that our strict standards for risk diversification and quality are being met.

DTJ: How have customer expectations and behaviors changed in recent years and what are steps you are taking to meet these changes?

Tom Kennedy: Customers today expect greater customization. They want a wider range of mobility options to meet their diverse needs. We meet these requirements through our array of products that keep mobility simple and flexible for our customers. Of course, this includes our traditional rental car services. Plus, SIXT Ride which offers one of the world’s largest networks of cab, limousine, and ride services all over the world. Then there’s SIXT+, which is a flexible alternative to buying or leasing a vehicle that allows customers to book a car subscription online, receive their vehicle within a few days, and return it just as easily.

To remain in front of customer expectations, SIXT also has plans to make major investments across our global network. The company is putting more than EUR 100 million into our service excellence, modernization of existing branches, construction of new branches, and the further digitalization and automation of our services. Our goal is always to exceed our customers’ expectations for better, more convenient, sustainable, and exciting mobility.

DTJ: What other trends or future predictions do you have for the car rental industry?

Tom Kennedy: I believe corporate social responsibility [CSR] has and will continue to hold a greater significance. Sustainability is one specific example. Across the mobility spectrum companies are investing in electric vehicles.

Having a people-centric mindset is another major facet of CSR. People are at the center of everything we do in the travel industry. We are a people business, and our customers and SIXT team members are the most important foundation of our success. That’s where the industry is going and we are prepared to lead the way. DTJ

Southwest Wants to Be the Most Military-Friendly Airline

By Sharon Lo, Managing Editor, DTJ & The Source

Over the past three-plus years, Southwest Airlines has focused its time and resources on enhancing the travel experience for US Military service men and women. Since 2020, the airline has integrated

Amadeus, Travelport, and Sabre travel distribution platforms. According to Chief Sales Officer, Dave Harvey, this was a huge win for reducing friction for both travelers and Southwest employees.

Reducing friction was the goal when the airline decided to take a step back to exam-

ine the entire travel journey of its military customers. The resulting changes not only bridged gaps for travelers but also made things more efficient and better for the company’s employees from the back office to the front line.

The Defense Travel System (DTS) is the primary travel primary tool Department of Defense (DOD) personnel use to manage their commercial travel. However, Southwest had its own unique method for initial bookings. The airline has now made the changes necessary to align with industry standards.

Flight cancellation and change processes were also unique to the airline—and were

high-touch activities for Travel Management Companies (TMCs). This is another area that has been brought up to industry standards. By Harvey’s estimation, fully automating this process effectively saves the government hundreds of thousands of dollars a month.

In fact, travelers with an active-duty military ID can check up to 20 bags at no charge. In addition, the excess weight fee is waived, meaning those 20 bags can be up to 100 pounds or 80 inches each.

Travelers of the airline may have noticed the introduction of the Wanna Get Away Plus fare last year, as well as the integration of Early Bird Check-in to the Anytime fare. EarlyBird Check-in was correspondingly embedded into the GSA City Pair Program Unrestricted Coach

Class Fare (YCA). With this feature, travelers will be automatically checked into their flights 36-hours before departure resulting in a majority of Southwest’s military travelers getting an A boarding position.

Should that not be the case, the airline implemented a new policy to allow those with an active-duty military ID to board between the A and B boarding groups. This policy applies to both business and leisure travel, and essentially guarantees military members a window or aisle seat.

“We take pride at Southwest in serving military travelers well and that’s also been a big motivator for us to make these changes,” said Harvey. “We want to be the most military-friendly we can possibly be.”

Southwest has long applied a similar military-friendly stance regarding its baggage policy. While the company often promotes its “bags fly free” policy, the reality for military members extends far beyond the two checked bags this slogan normally represents. In fact, travelers with an active-duty military ID can check up to 20 bags at no charge. In addition, the excess weight fee is waived, meaning those

20 bags can be up to 100 pounds or 80 inches each.

As the airline continues implementing changes, it has also made a $2 billion commitment to improving several key onboard products. In the near future, Southwest plans to provide power at every seat, vastly improved Wi-Fi capability, and larger overhead bins.

“During the holidays, we weren’t at our best from an operational reliability standpoint,” said Harvey. “For 51 years we have been a leader when it comes to on-time performance and reliability, and we have been working very rapidly to care for the customers impacted, as well as putting short- and long-term investments, process changes, and even leadership involvement into how we manage the day of operations to ensure that never happens again.

“It has put a really bright light on making sure that front-line teams and network operations control that oversee the daily schedule have all of the tools and resources they need. We are focused on reliability and on-time performance, which I know is critical for our military and government travelers.” DTJ

PROUD TO SERVE THOSE WHO SERVE

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

from the very beginning. It started with the values our founder, Jack Taylor, learned in the Navy while serving on the USS Enterprise during World War II and continues to this day.

• One of the industry’s largest van and platform selections with over 102,000 truck capacity providers in network

• Expedited cargo vans, straight trucks and tractor-trailers

• 18,000 pieces of trailing equipment

• 11,800+ owner-operators leased to Landstar with over 1,100 stepdecks and 1,100 flatbed trailers

• Drop and hook services

• Specialty trailers ranging from beam, blade and Schnabels to double drop, stretch and multi-axles

• Secure, dedicated government services with more than 325 AA&E secret cleared teams

• Hazmat certified owner-operators

• Unit moves with onsite carrier representative

NDTA-DTMO’s Symposium on Government Travel & Passenger Services

“On the Road Again – Industry & Government Travel Rebounds”

February 27-March 1, 2023 • Hilton Mark Center, Alexandria, VA

Text by Sharon Lo, Managing Editor, DTJ and The Source

Photos by Myles Cullen

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.

Welcome Back GovTravels!

National Defense Transportation Association (NDTA) President and CEO VADM William A. “Andy” Brown, USN, welcomed the audience to the 8th annual GovTravels Symposium. Co-sponsored by NDTA and the Defense Travel Management Office (DTMO), GovTravels took place February 27 –March 1, 2023, at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center in Alexandria, Virginia.

Each year the Symposium brings together travel and transportation professionals from industry, and federal and state governments to build relationships, exchange ideas, educate and collaborate, learn about innovative technologies, and find ways to improve the federal government’s travel readiness. Brown served as the master of ceremonies for the event, which was held in person for the first time since 2020.

“Our hope is that you will find this a time that is very professionally rewarding and a great networking experience for you, said Brown, who also thanked audience members that had attended the virtual symposiums in 2021 and 2022.

The meeting theme, On the Road Again – Industry & Government Travel Rebounds, reflected the return to a more normative travel climate. The theme was also meant to ensure a focus on how the government and the commercial travel industry are re-

sponding to today’s challenges and preparing for the years to come.

“Our goal over the next two days is to bring government and industry together to solve challenges and to build bridges and better relationships. Our discussions are important and we need your participation, we need your feedback,” said Brown. “Our speakers will confront us with a myriad of challenges, and we must think about solutions and the actions needed to bring innovation and to do things better.”

Mr. Bryan Scott, Chair of NDTA’s Government Passenger Travel Advisory Council (GPTAC), also provided opening remarks. He acknowledged the hard work of the GPTAC Vice Chair, as well as

the Chairs of each of the Council’s committees. The committees—which include the Airline, Bus, Car Rental, Lodging, Long-Term Lodging, and Travel Management Committees—represent key facets of the travel industry. Scott also thanked the DTMO and General Services Administration (GSA) for their leadership and guidance which were critical to the success of the event.

“As always, over the course of this week, we’ll be focused on using this opportunity to educate and strengthen the relationship between industry and government. Ultimately, we’re here this week because we share a love for this country,” said Scott.

“Through our companies, we have a desire to provide the best possible programs and service to the men and woman who work and serve this great nation. As a member of industry, I know I speak for most in this room when I say the most rewarding days of our careers are those when we’re called upon to support the troops and nation.”

Mr. William Mansell, SES, Director of the Defense Support Services Center, welcomed the audience on behalf of

the DTMO. “GovTravels is an important event for the Department of Defense and the Defense Travel Management Office continues its co-sponsorship for several important reasons,” said Mansell.

“First, we gain a better understanding of the challenges facing the travel managers across the federal government and to the travel industry, many of which have shifted in the past three years,” he explained.

“Second, we learn how our strategic direction for the Defense travel enterprise may need to adapt and shift as we consider different approaches, new technologies, and updated industry and government best practices that have developed since

“Through our companies, we have a desire to provide the best possible programs and service to the men and woman who work and serve this great nation. As a member of industry, I know I speak for most in this room when I say the most rewarding days of our careers are those when we’re called upon to support the troops and nation.”

2020. And, finally, we get to meet up with all of you in one place to practice what we preach—traveling here, making use of the travel industry segments represented in this room, and setting the pace by moving forward.” He added that these goals have remained constant despite the shifting travel landscape.

The 2023 GovTravels Symposium provided myriad educational and professional development opportunities including meetings, keynote speakers, moderated panels, the NDTA Exhibit Hall, networking sessions, and Young Leaders events.

Attendees also had the opportunity to attend Travel Academy. Held in conjunction with the conference, Travel Academy offered sixteen classes spread over four sessions. This year’s classes covered travel experience and safety, travel innovation, travel technology, travel partner programs, and travel compliance.

With such a robust agenda, GovTravels offers something for everyone across the travel spectrum. For more details and to view videos from the GovTravels Symposium and Travel Academy, please visit: www.ndtahq.com/events/gov-travels

Personnel and Readiness in a Post Pandemic World

assenger travel is critical to our readiness and our ability to accomplish the mission. GovTravels is an example of how government and industry come together to build relationships, exchange ideas, educate, [and] collaborate on solutions to support and enable the people who serve in defense of our Nation,” said Mr. Thomas A. Constable, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. He also acknowledged the sheer complexity required to manage passenger travel, as well as the vast volume of data it involves.

The Office of Manpower and Readiness falls under the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (P&R), which serves as the principal staff assistant and advisor to the Secretary of Defense for force readiness, force management, health affairs, National Guard and Reserve component affairs, education and training, and military-civilian personnel requirements and management.

He explained that personnel and readiness are paired under one secretariat, as it is hard to discuss one without the other. “Our people are our readiness,” said Constable, a sentiment he thought the GovTravels audience would understand well.

“The P&R mission is simple: We ensure a strong, adaptable, and ready force, supported through exceptional policy, programs, and services. This means effective travel policy, programs, and services are an integral part, said Constable. “Our vision is a diverse, resilient, and ready DOD community. We cannot realize that vision with-

out our industry partners, and we must continue to build on our relationships.”

In his roles in the P&R organization, Constable gained a unique view of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on personnel and readiness in a post-COVID environment. One of the first conversations that he recalled having at the start of

the pandemic was a discussion on whether or not to curtail training. While there was concern about the young men and women being trained, consideration also had to be given to the travel and personal networks that would help get them to that training. While Constable knew training could not stop, how to accomplish the training needed to be reconsidered.

While people have returned to work since that time, the world has changed irreversibly. “I can tell you that the COVID-19 Pandemic undoubtedly changed how we view readiness and conduct our business operations. While our mission largely remains the same, we now have more options for how to accomplish it that may not have

As a result of the pandemic, traveler concerns have shifted. DOD has responded with an increased focus on Duty of Care initiatives, promoting the health, well-being, and safety of the force and their families.

been fully realized [or] realized as quickly until the pandemic,” said Constable.

Some of these options include transitioning a portion of the workforce to a telework posture, adopting existing and developing new technologies to meet the requirements of a remote workforce, and finding other ways to accomplish the mission while limiting the need for face-toface interactions.

“The pandemic taught us many things, but none more than the art of being flexible when it comes to taking care of our workforce. We needed to figure out how to move forward in an ever-changing environment—to accomplish our mission while taking care of our people,” said Constable.

Even as vaccines became available and the world slowly reopened, flexibility was required to deal with new challenges such as inflation, supply chain issues and shortages, and staffing challenges. He recognized like P&R, industry is continuing to recover and faces its own challenges.

“We know that you are facing your own challenges. We’re here today to clearly reinforce the importance of our continued strategic relationship. We hope that we can continue to constructively work together to find solutions,” said Constable.

DOD travel continues to trend upward. Though in 2022 DOD travel volume remained approximately 20% less than prepandemic levels, the total travel spend sits at around $8.5 billion.

As a result of the pandemic, traveler concerns have shifted. DOD has responded with an increased focus on Duty of Care initiatives, promoting the health, well-being, and safety of the force and their families.

To that end, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III announced an initiative called “Taking Care of Our Service Members and

Families.” With this initiative, DOD recognized the service and sacrifice of US military members and their families, and dedicated resources, policies, services, and programs to support them. The Secretary approved actions in four areas: First, securing affordable basic needs. Second, making moves easier. Third, further strengthening support to DOD families. And, fourth, expanding opportunities for spouse employment.

“The pandemic caused DOD to pivot on many fronts,” said Constable. “We’ve learned that when pressed, we can respond in a very agile way to [a] rapidly changing environment. This is something we’ve always demonstrated on the battlefield, and we’re now far nimbler from a broader personnel and readiness organizational perspective.

“We’ve learned to adapt to rapid change in the workplace, to do so efficiently while maintaining our focus on our collective mission. Finally, I’ll say, please never forget that the force that you support—that you are a part of—remains the strongest, bestequipped fighting force in the history of this planet.”

falls had impacted her business. However, not all impacts had been negative. “I think that we’re going to be better and are better because I think we understand what our needs are,” she said. “But certainly, as far as recruiting is concerned, it shows that we have to really do more training, more mentoring, and in many cases, look beyond and, also try to recruit maybe some of those older folks who might be looking for another avenue after their formal retirement. But I think it’s been an eye opener as far as I’m concerned—in running my business and in finding talent.”

Hot Passenger Travel Topics

Now a staple of the GovTravels agenda, a panel presentation, moderated by Mr. Tony D’Astolfo, Senior VP North America, Serko, Ltd., explored hot topics in the travel industry. The fast-paced discussion centered around five topics.

TOPIC 1 | THE GREAT RESIGNATION

Has this impacted your business and do you think it will continue to be an issue in 2023?

Ms. Gloria Bohan, President and CEO, Omega World Travel, said that labor short-

Mr. Lee Curtis, CEO, 3Sixty, described the succession of “The Great Resignation”, followed by “The Great Regret”, followed by “Quiet Quitting”, followed in recent months by “The Great Layoff”. Each of these had different effects on businesses. Curtis felt the situation would continue to evolve.

According to Mr. J. Matt Gilkeson, Executive Director, Capability Management and Innovation (CM&I), Requirements and Capabilities Analysis, Transportation Security Administration (TSA), his agency retained most of its staff during the pandemic. This was fortunate because the TSA staff is a well-trained workforce. Also, fortunately for the TSA workforce, Congress invested in the agency this year, providing pay raises for Transportation Se-

curity Officers to bring their pay in line with the GSA Schedule.

Given that most of its workers are considered independent contractors, Uber has experienced less of an impact from labor shortages. In fact, Ms. Ashley Jacober, Head of Government Partnerships, Uber for Business, said the company’s unique platform— encompassing both a delivery side and a mobility side—positioned Uber to come out of the pandemic on a positive trend.

TOPIC 2 | REMOTE WORK

Did you move to remote working, and did it impact productivity? Has it had a cultural impact on your company?

Gilkeson said that post-pandemic there is a shift towards remote work in the government, and described productivity and culture as largely functions of leadership and communication. “Remote work is about communication fundamentally. Are you effectively understanding what is getting done and what is the definition of the work that needs to get done? I think that’s a level of maturity that we are all experiencing in terms of growth and training and development,” he said while acknowledging that some work requires in-person collaboration. “If we can use that lens about defining what the work is and defining kind of what we want to try to get out of the employee, we can better lean in on the leadership side and find the right places for remote to thrive.”

Bohan described the struggle of many CEOs to determine the right way to handle hybrid schedules and how that affects collaboration, especially for growing companies. She also wondered about the ability of remote workers to progress in their jobs.

While hybrid is here to stay, Jacober sees the desire of many at Uber to be in the office in order to collaborate. In addition, she cited the benefit of receiving mentorship that is often only realized through inperson interactions.

At 3Sixty, there was a combination of workers who were able to work remotely during the pandemic and workers that were missioncritical and could never work remotely. Curtis described the psychological impact of that, which is something that is often overlooked.

TOPIC 3 | SUSTAINABILITY

With everything else going on, will sustainability be a front- or backburner consideration in 2023?

“As a supplier to many large organizations, what I’m really seeing consistently is the large

Fortune [500 companies] are really making it a front-burner item when it comes to RFPs, requirements, how they view our DEI in relation to theirs,” said Curtis. “There’s so much more opportunity to be transparent about it or required to be transparent about it, that it’s nothing you can just check a box anymore on and say you did it. You have to be able to prove it now.”

ness travel returned about a year ago for the DOD traveler. As evidence that travel overall is picking up, he shared TSA PreCheck enrollment data—stating that the top 10 enrollment days for TSA PreCheck have all occurred in calendar year 2023.

Curtis concurred that business travel has returned, with no signs of slowing even with signs of a recession. He also agrees

Bohan added that from her perspective, it is a positive force with little downside.

Jacober stated that Uber is dedicated to its sustainability mission, pledging to go to zero emissions by 2030. To the end, the company has invested heavily in electric vehicles (EVs), as well as providing sustainable options and data for customers and partners.

On a related note, Gilkeson said that as fleets change to EVs, fleet managers need to take greater responsibility for charging the vehicles—at least on the front end of a trip to ensure travelers can get where they need to go.

TOPIC 4 | THE ECONOMY AND TRAVEL

What do you think the economic environment’s impact on business travel will be? Will 2023 be a buyer or supplier market?

While business travel is on the upswing, Jacober expects a bit more tightening. “We want to make sure that when we are traveling that there is an ROI-positive reason behind it—that it’s driving the agency mission forward—and so, it’s intentional travel. It makes an impact,” she said. “When we think about how we’re setting our goals in thinking about these travels, it needs to be within structure, and so, there’s an emphasis on managed travel programs.”

While some sectors have been slower to return to travel, Gilkeson said that busi-

that as a CEO, he is looking more at the purpose and ROI of trips being taken. But, by and large, trips are being allowed.

Bohan felt the recession and increases in the cost of living would slow leisure travel. But combining leisure and business travel helps people to continue travel. She added that travelers are now looking for more immersive and customized travel opportunities. The potential for business travel to slow, depends on the industry and the importance of travel for their business. All panelists agreed that prices would be higher in 2023.

TOPIC 5 | Tech Time: Which technology will have the biggest impact on travel in 2023?

Curtis thought the adoption of facial recognition would have the greatest impact on travel. Regarding this technology, Gilkeson described the way in which TSA and other government agencies are implementing it in a privacy-centric manner.

Bohan agreed that facial recognition would have a strong impact. In addition, she thought Artificial Intelligence, such as ChatGPT, had the potential for great impact. This resonated with Jacober, whose company utilizes AI to help improve the experience of its customers. All of the panelists viewed these technologies as means of increasing both speed and efficiency for travelers.

Passenger Travel Cybersecurity Solutions

The COVID-19 pandemic greatly affected the travel industry, but recovery continues to improve. “At the end of last year, we saw we’re about 71% recovery of US Government bookings— which is ahead of corporate travel. Corporate travel is only about 59% [recovered]. But, what’s really leading the way is our personal travel,” said GovTravels Keynote

Mr. Scott Moser, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer, Sabre Corporation

Threats targeting the travel industry in the cyber domain include cyber warfare, which targets infrastructure, communications, or governments; cyber espionage, which includes nation-state activities that target the public and private sectors; cyber crime, such as ransomware or extortion; and hacktivism, which are groups attacking others who do not agree with their ideologies.

Russia used cyber warfare to prepare the battlefield long before it began its invasion of Ukraine, with hacktivists and cyber crime groups joining in on behalf of both sides.

In 2023, Moser expects there will be some splintering of these groups. As groups break apart, they continue to operate and are better able to specialize in specific attack methods, thereby increasing the overall effectiveness of cyber crime. He also expects new cyber warfare tools will continue to come out.

New attacks are defeating current se-

curity tools. With many people mixing their professional and personal accounts on their cell phones, things such as text messages are being exploited as attack vectors. In addition, security flaws in widelyused open source software source code and email fishing will continue to offer avenues for attack.

Across the cyber environment, risk management and compliance programs, secure software development and operations, continuous cyber threat management, and identity management are foundational pillars of cyber security.

The current environment necessitates vigilance and responses that extend across our professional and personal lives. Moser shared a series of six broadly adopted methods for responding to cyber threats.

“The first is this idea of threat intelligence, and threat intelligence is no different from military intelligence. The idea is that you want to understand what the attacker is going to do before they do it, and if you can understand what they are going to do then you can either prevent it or you can be better prepared to defend against it,” said Moser.

“The second is this idea of threat hunting. So, historically we would build our computer networks and just kind of let them sit there and operate. But today, this idea of threat hunting is let’s look at our own networks for potential weaknesses before an attacker ever finds them,” he said. “If we can find and fix the problem before an attacker does, we’ve prevented a major security incident.”

The third response method is adopting cloud security best practices. Moser explained that many organizations have moved away from private cloud in favor of utilizing public cloud services such as Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, or Amazon Web Services. Adopting best practices helps to set up this environment to ensure its protection.

Fourth is having effective DevSecOps and application security programs to deliver secure applications to the customer. This entails training software developers to develop and design code that is secure— throughout the product’s lifecycle. End users should support this method by performing software updates and patches as they are provided.

The fifth recommendation has to do with security monitoring. While companies constantly monitor their assets for attack, there has been a more recent focus on behavioral anomalies. This involves understanding what the normal user behavior is and identifying anomalies in that behavior. Examples would be suddenly uploading every file on your computer, logging in from a foreign country, or logins are highly unusual times. These are very effective methods for detecting potential attacks.

The sixth and final response method is the idea of automation. Attackers utilize automation by creating software to perform attacks for them. Likewise, automation is key to being able to respond effectively to these attacks.

Across the cyber environment, risk management and compliance programs, secure software development and operations, continuous cyber threat management, and identity management are foundational pillars of cyber security.

Moving forward the cyber threat environment will continue to challenge the government and private industry. Information sharing programs and strong security partnerships will enable our collective success, with public cloud strategies providing an effective means to manage the cyber risk environment.

Turning the Page: What is Next for Air Travel

added that the company expected its business travel to return to 2019 levels in the following month.

The return of federal and state government travel is underway, leading the return of the business travel market. Domestic travel is returning at a faster pace than international travel, due in part to border and pandemic-related restrictions.

Watterson shared that supply chain issues continued to affect the airline industry by causing increased lead times for large capital equipment. Suppliers and manufacturers of new aircraft and components parts are largely sold out for 2027 and 2028. In effect, this issue constrains the industry, a problem that is only intensified by staff and pilot shortages.

Southwest is focused on three areas going forward. First, improving its service modernization, meaning to improve upon what it supplies to its customers and partners. This includes enhancing its onboard Wi-Fi, enlarging overhead bins, and providing in-seat power for each customer.

ular with consumers, it was not always easy for organizations to do business with it. In response, the airline has been on a path toward removing these friction points for organizations it does business with.

While Southwest likes to think of itself as a small, scrappy airline, it is actually a rather large airline said GovTravels keynote speaker Mr. Andrew Watterson, Chief Operating Officer at Southwest Airlines. The airline reaches 121 destinations across 11 countries, carried 127 million passengers last year, has 66,656 employees, and 770 Boeing 737 aircraft in its fleet—and with approximately 600 more planes on order, the company plans to grow.

With regards to its connection to the military, Watterson said Southwest employs 8,700 veterans and has 1,439 GSA City Pairs awarded. In addition, the airline carried 397,000 military passengers and 451,000 military bags last year.

While the company has long been pop-

There are four ways Southwest has enhanced its value proposition to military customers: It provides Early Bird checkin as part of its YCA government fares. This automatically checks-in the passenger 36-hours before the scheduled flight. Active duty military with valid IDs can now board between the A and B boarding groups. In addition, military bags fly free. Finally, the airline has invested in the Defense Travel System (DTS) and MyTravel for a seamless booking and ticketing process.

Unsurprisingly, there was a drop in average daily domestic flights across the airline industry due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But while business travel was often fully restricted by companies, there was still leeway when it came to leisure travel. For that reason, travel did not drop off entirely, and leisure markets came back much more rapidly than business markets.

“In fact, leisure travel is well above what it was in 2019 and business [travel] is not yet back overall. At Southwest Airlines, given the investments we’ve made in the technology I mentioned, our people, our organization, and processes, we have put a focus on more business travel since just before the pandemic,” said Watterson. He

Second, the airline will make improvements that will affect its front line as it focuses on modernizing its operations. “We’ve done a lot of work in the back office with upgrading systems that were around safety and compliance, but the user interface to the front line was not as mod-

Suppliers and manufacturers of new aircraft and components parts are largely sold out for 2027 and 2028. In effect, this issue constrains the industry, a problem that is only intensified by staff and pilot shortages.

ernized,” explained Watterson. “This year we are going to be going back and working on the human-machine interface for a lot of our front line so it makes it easier for them to do their business.”

The third and final focus was sustainability efforts. “We are looking to reduce our carbon footprint. We can do as much as we want on the ground, but the bulk of our carbon comes in the air. So, this is both working on aerodynamic modifications to our aircraft [and] renewing our fleet are ways to reduce our current consumption, and then also with sustainable aviation fuels which we’re investing in,” said Watterson.

Post-Pandemic Industry Challenges

Apanel presentation, moderated by Mr. Tim Burke, SES, Director, Office of Travel, Employee Relocation and Transportation, Federal Acquisition Service (FAS), GSA, examined challenges facing the passenger travel industry in a post-pandemic world. In addition, the panel looked at bright spots and the ability of capacity to meet surge requirements.

QUESTION 1 | Where are travel numbers now? Are we back to where we were pre-pandemic? If not, what’s your prediction for when and how we get there?

The airlines have rebounded well according to Mr. Rob Lebel, Managing Director, Specialty Sales, Delta Air Lines. He shared that leisure travel has not just rebounded, but is actually at 120% recovered. He estimated that business travel is around 75% recovered. Military and government travel is around 75-80% recovered.

For the bus industry, many segments have come back said Ms. Trisha Fridrich, VP, Business Development and Marketing, All Aboard America! Holdings, Inc. However, several segments have yet to fully recover, including international travel. This raises the concern as to whether or not there will be enough buses when these

segments finally recover. Buses may be in shorter supply because of reductions in fleet numbers, an approximate 20% driver shortage, smaller bus companies not surviving through the pandemic, and industry consolidations.

For context, Vournakis shared that between 2019 and 2020 the travel and tourism industry lost 62 million jobs. To his surprise, when the industry started to rebuild many of those displaced employees were not ready to return to the industry and were seeking greater stability.

Mr. Nick Vournakis, Executive Vice President and Chief Customer Officer, CWT, said that he had seen close to a full recovery but with some volatility. There is also a surge in people wanting to tack on leisure travel to business travel. He also noted that hotel bookings were doing very well. Contributing to this are longer overall hotel stays—travelers are taking fewer but longer trips.

While the government’s travel spend is continuing to recover, Mr. William R.

Mansell Jr., SES, Director, Defense Support Services Center (DSSC), is not sure if it will ever fully recover. “I don’t know if it’s ever going to come back to the numbers we saw in 2019. I don’t know that it will,” he said adding that things such as collaborative travel, remote, and telework had changed the perceptions of what can be accomplished without the need to travel.

QUESTION

2 |

What skills are needed for travel workers now and in the future?

“The skill set for the future that we are looking for in the motorcoach industry is really in the trades,” said Fridrich. “We need to change the conversation around college being the only great place to go when you graduate high school, and make sure that becoming a CDL driver and a technician are really rewarded.” To this point, she added, her company has some drivers earning more than $100,000 per year. The company also works to train and grow employees within the business.

For context, Vournakis shared that between 2019 and 2020 the travel and tourism industry lost 62 million jobs. To his surprise, when the industry started to rebuild many of those displaced employees were not ready to return to the industry and were seeking greater stability. As a result, how to bring capacity back had to be rethought. In addition, there is a delicate balance between leveraging technology and providing travelers with the ability to be self-sufficient, paired with their desire to speak human to human when disruption occurs.

QUESTION 3 | How do the challenges that the industry is facing impact the DOD mission?

According to Mansell, whether or not travel industry challenges affect the DOD mission depends on the purpose of the travel. Being late to a conference may be frustrating, but it is unlikely to impact the mission. But disruptions when traveling to deployment could impact the mission or cause mission failure. He concluded that both scenarios are not good and could impact productivity.

QUESTION 4 | Weather impacts are nothing new, but seem to be getting worse and could take from hours to days to recover. How is your organization prioritizing customer care once the chaos begins?

Agility is key said Vournakis, who described this as the ability to surge the workforce when needed. While managing capacity had traditionally been a more stable task, he shared that within the previous five weeks, he had seen volumes change anywhere from 80% to 113% recovered. This delta necessitates flexibility.

Record flight delays and cancellations in 2021 and 2022 resulted in chaos for air passengers. To alleviate the risk of such issues—caused by weather or other events— Lebel recommends taking a proactive planning approach. For Delta, this means not overscheduling, increasing block hours, boarding planes a few minutes early, hiring meteorologists and have predictive analytics to help predict and monitor weather, and leveraging technology to proactively communicate with customers.

QUESTION 5 | Is duty of care a higher priority going forward than it was before the pandemic? What policy or service delivery changes did you institute during or just after the pandemic to address traveler health, safety, and wellness, and are they permanent?

A higher standard of cleaning and disinfecting is a change for the motorcoach industry that Fridrich thinks will continue.

In addition, she has seen an increase in the clarity and transparency of terms and expectations between her company and its customers.

With regard to traveler health and safety, Vournakis felt there was a good foundation of policies and procedures in place prior to the pandemic. One example is an organization’s ability to track its travelers. Moving forward, this and other aspects of duty of care will be developed further to do things such as enabling travelers to check in with their home office or to get safety information at the touch of a button.

QUESTION 6 | What technology strategies have been adopted for the future that weren’t here before the pandemic and what is the most significant technology do you see looking forward?

Lebel shared that the airline industry now has a seat at the technology table. From an operational perspective, he said that Delta

has invested in technology to help the customers including free Wi-Fi for everyone. In addition, a new state-of-the-art technology called Delta Sync—which curates your in-flight entertainment experience— will roll out later this year.

QUESTION 7 | Do you view the government customer any differently than you did pre-pandemic and does the government need to buy any differently from industry?

“Speaking for the airlines, Tim, we love the GSA bid process,” said Lebel. “For the airlines, it gives us some predictability and that’s not a word that’s used a lot.” He added that it also provides the airlines with clear compliance requirements for the markets they win.

“This is a unique sector because it is very heavy workflow, it is very heavy process,” said Vournakis. “Having perspective on both government travel, as well as commercial travel (non-government travel), I think there’s an interesting potential tradeoff between simplifying and, ultimately, controllability—and specifically some of that cost predictability.” DTJ

Congratulations to the travel industry 2022 NDTA Corporate Distinguished Service Award winners: Choice Hotels International, CWTSatoTravel, Enterprise Holdings, IHG Army Hotels, Omega World Travel, SAP Concur, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. This award is presented annually to corporate members that have provided outstanding service in support of the Association’s goals and programs at the local and national levels.

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In conjunction with the GovTravels Symposium, the NDTA Exposition was also back in person this year. A major highlight of the week, the Expo provides a valuable opportunity for attendees to share ideas, network, and learn about new products and services. The Expo floor was bustling with excitement throughout the event, creating a truly rewarding experience for all.

CHAIRMAN’S CIRCLE

AAR CORP.

AAT Carriers, Inc.

Agility Defense & Government Services

Air Transport Services Group (ATSG)

AIT Worldwide Logistics, Inc.

ALARA Logistics

Amazon

American President Lines, LLC

American Roll-on Roll-off Carrier (ARC)

Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings

Bennett

C5MI

Carlile Transportation Systems, LLC

CGI Federal

Chapman Freeborn International Ltd.

Construction Helicopters, Inc. (d/b/a CHI Aviation)

Crane Worldwide Logistics, LLC

Crowley

Deloitte

DHL Express Enterprise Holdings

FedEx

Freeman Holdings Group

Hapag-Lloyd USA, LLC

HomeSafe Alliance

AEG Fuels

International Auto Logistics

Kalitta Air LLC

Landstar System, Inc.

Liberty Global Logistics

Maersk Line, Limited

Matson

Microsoft Federal

Naniq Government Services, LLC

National Air Cargo, Inc.

Omni Air International, LLC

Patriot Maritime

Reify Solutions, LLC

Salesforce

SAP

Schuyler Line Navigation Company LLC

Sealift, Inc.

SIXT rent a car

Southwest Airlines

The Pasha Group

TOTE Group

Tri-State Motor Transit Co.

United Airlines

US Ocean, LLC

Waterman Logistics

PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE

Air Charter Service

American Maritime Partnership

Amerijet International, Inc.

Berry Aviation, Inc.

BNSF Railway

Boeing Company

Boyle Transportation

Bristol Associates

Choice Hotels

Coleman Worldwide Moving

CSX Transportation

CWTSatoTravel

EASE Logistics

Echo Global Logistics, Inc.

Ernst & Young

Global Logistics Providers LLC

ICAT Logistics

KGL

Leidos

National Air Carrier Association

Norfolk Southern Corporation

PayCargo LLC

SAP Concur

Sonesta International Hotels Corporation

Telesto Group, a Groundswell company

The Port of Virginia Transportation Institute

U.S. Bank

Union Pacific Railroad

Western Global Airlines

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc.

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.

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

All Aboard America Holdings

American Bureau of Shipping

American Maritime Officers

American Trucking Associations

Apex Logistics International Inc.

ArcBest

Army & Air Force Exchange Service

Arven Services, LLC

ATS Specialized, Inc.

Avis Budget Group

Baggett Transportation Company

Beltway Transportation Service

Benchmarking Partners, Inc.

Bolloré Logistics

Bridgeway

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

Europcar

Eyre Bus Service, Inc.

FSI Defense, A FlightSafety International Company

GeoDecisions

Global Secure Shipping

Green Valley Transportation Corp.

Guidehouse

Hilton Worldwide

Holland & Knight

REGIONAL PATRONS

ACME Truck Line, Inc.

Amyx

C5T Corporation

CakeBoxx Technologies, LLC

Cartwright International

Columbia Helicopters, Inc.

Dalko Resources, Inc.

Enterprise Management Systems

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

Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT)

J.B. Hunt Transport, Inc.

K&L Trailer Sales and Leasing

Kansas City Southern Railway Company

Keystone Shipping Co.

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

Perfect Logistics, LLC

Pilot Freight Services

Placemakr

Plateau GRP

PODS Enterprises LLC

Port of Beaumont

Port of Corpus Christi Authority

Port of San Diego

Ports America

Prestera Trucking, Inc.

Procharter

Prosponsive Logistics

PTS Worldwide

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

North Carolina State Ports Authority

Radiant Global Logistics

Ramar Transportation, Inc.

Rampart Aviation

Red Roof Inn

Sabre

SAIC

Savi

SeaCube Containers

Seafarers International Union of NA, AGLIW

SEKO Logistics

Selsi International Inc.

Signature Transportation Group

Smith Currie & Hancock LLP

SSA Marine

St. Louis Union Station Hotel a Curio Hotel Collection by Hilton

StarForce National Corporation

Stevens Global Logistics, Inc.

Swan Transportation Services

The Flight Lab Aviation Consulting LLC

The Hertz Corporation

The Suddath Companies

TLR - Total Logistics Resource, Inc.

TMM, Inc.

Toll Group

Trailer Bridge

Transportation Intermediaries Assn. (TIA)

Travelport

Triangle Bus Charters Inc

Trinity Shipping Company

TTX Company

Tucker Company Worldwide, Inc.

U.S. Premier Locations

Uber for Business

UNCOMN

United Van Lines, Inc.

UPS

US1 Logistics

Women In Trucking Association, Inc.

World Fuel Services – Defense Solutions

Yellow

NovaVision, LLC

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

WELCOME

issues that continue to resonate during these times. Around the globe, the intensity of providing material support for Ukraine continues to be a top priority. I recently attended the US European Command (EUCOM)/ US Africa Command (AFRICOM) Joint Deployment and Distribution Conference.

The licensed and un-licensed mariner pool is suffering critical shortages, at a time when the US will need to build up mariners to sail on the more complicated tankers, which are being brought into the Tanker Security Program.

It is essential to remain focused on longterm support, and the priority of continuing to build logistics resilience within NATO is at the forefront. This means every member nation is leaning forward to replenish munitions and provide effective border crossing/ Command and Control of logistics.

I was also struck by the similarities between logistics support on the African continent to that of the Indo-Pacific area of operations—due to vast distances between logistics nodes and the difficulty of obtaining the right transportation solutions to fit the environment. In Europe and Africa, our NDTA industry partners are fully engaged and supporting US/coalition military operations, as well as wholeof-government operations. I highly recommend that those who want to stay on top of issues in Europe and Africa engage with NDTA’s Europe & Africa Regional Committee led by Jason Trubenbach.

One challenge that continues to affect most aspects of commercial logistics and transportation across industry sectors is labor. In particular, labor shortages are impacting the maritime and air industries. The licensed and un-licensed mariner pool is suffering critical shortages, at a time when the US will need to build up mariners to sail on the more complicated tankers, which are being brought into the Tanker Security Program.

At a recent Military Aviation Advisory Committee (MAAC) meeting, the short-

Chloe Baker

Please join us in welcoming Chloe Baker to the NDTA Headquarters team!

Chloe will be joining as the new Project Coordinator. In this role, Chloe looks forward to using her skills, experience, and problem-solving capabilities to support NDTA, its chapters, and events.

Chloe graduated last year with her bachelor’s degree in American Studies at Christopher Newport University (CNU). While at CNU, she worked as a Junior Fellow for CNU’s Center for American Studies (CAS). She assisted with CAS events and conferences—including the 2022 NDTACAS Surface Force Projection Conference! In addition, she worked with an American studies faculty mentor to complete academic research and assist with various projects.

She has also worked as an A/V Technician for university events, and completed two marketing-related internships, including a Social Media Marketing and Graphic Design internship with CNU’s Office of Alumni Engagement.

In her free time, Chloe enjoys cooking, writing, hiking and being outdoors, and acting in community theater productions. She also has a growing collection of houseplants to care for.

Chloe looks forward to getting to know NDTA’s members and learning more about logistics and transportation. She feels “honored to help serve the leaders and experts who serve our great nation and contribute to America’s national defense.” DTJ

age of skilled aircraft mechanics was a major theme throughout the discussions. These shortages are known by US Transportation Command and the Maritime Administration and are being highlighted to Congress during “testimony season.” NDTA will continue to emphasize the industry-wide labor shortfalls, and we will use our Committees and Subcommittees to place focus and seek solutions.

To solve these issues, we need critical thinking and action. Albert Einstein said success is 5 percent inspiration and 95 percent perspiration. James H. Clark, PhD, founder of Netscape, whose first job was in the US Navy as an enlisted serviceman, talks about how you take a great idea and make it work. He agrees with Einstein. When asked about coming up with such ideas and implementing them, he says it is about “just being obsessive”…” Believe and look for ways to make things work”—and “Luck (good luck) comes to the prepared mind.” “Put together a team of pros and minimize the risks.” All of this advice applies to our military and industry partners as we work together on some of our Nation’s most pressing planning risks.

Please keep working together to deter and overcome as necessary. We need to shore up our capacity, exercise together and seek advantage.

One great example of “getting at an issue” is the leadership of the Military Sealift Command for their hosting of industry in petroleum tanker wargame exercises—overcoming contested logistics. Keep it up!

To use the USTRANSCOM motto: Together We Deliver! DTJ

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