General Handy addresses hundreds at NDTA’s 56th Annual Forum
“No other organization in the Department of Defense has anything like NDTA to provide such an effective bridge between industry and the military,” Handy told hundreds of Forum attendees. “I am more certain than ever that our success (in the Defense Transportation System) hinges on the close relationship between the military and our commercial partners in industry”.
“This year’s (NDTA Forum) theme ‘Transportation Security - Global Changes, Challenges and Solutions’ is a timely topic due to the nation’s current challenges,” Jeff Crowe, the NDTA Chairman of the Board, said in his address to attendees.
Handy discussed security and challenges facing the Defense Transportation System since the events of Sept. 2001, telling the audience the ante has gone up and the risks are greater.
“Militarily and commercially, we’ve begun to take steps necessary to sure up security,” Handy said leading to comments on a recent report on transportation security published by the NDTA.
“We all must answer the challenge to push these initiatives further,” said Handy. “We must move to eliminate outdated, unnecessary rules, and propose new federal standards to enhance and standardize safety and security practices for shipments from point of origin all the way to destination.”
Handy also discussed the establishment of industry-wide mandates for security seals on all containers. This, he said, would facilitate the security of cargo moving within the transportation system, and maintain integrity throughout a shipment’s chain of custody.
Handy also shared insight into the management of items in-transit and systems to better enhance daily operations by mitigating inherent risks before items are in the pipeline.
“We are currently nearing operational capability on a system that will share available information from intelligence and law enforcement sources with organizations involved in defense transportation operations,” Handy said. “Still in the works is the formal process to get the information to the carriers on a timely basis.”
Addressing the need for improved information sharing, Handy recognized the need for information to travel both directions.
“Another part of the initiative involves reviewing our existing contracts with carriers to ensure provisions are included for carriers to report key Essential Elements of Information (EEI), such as possible terrorist surveillance, or related unusual events, to a central reporting location or agency. It will indeed be a two way street, benefiting both commercial and defense sector,” Handy said.
In closing, Handy shared his vision for the future.
“At TRANSCOM, in particular, we seek to develop business and financial practices more in step with the commercial sector, making ourselves easier to work with. We must be flexible, responsive, and very capable,” he said. Our partnership with industry and the evolution of our process is at the leading edge of defense logistics transformation. . . It’s important to our financial bottom line whether that’s the taxpayer or the board of directors. And it’s what really matters - providing exquisite support to our warfighters in the service of this great nation.”
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