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Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
US military's logistics drill aims to burnish East Asia crisis response
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Drills in East Asia this summer by the U.S. military body charged with moving munitions and equipment will help it better coordinate and communicate with allies in response to a crisis, its commander said on by growing Chinese assertiveness , whether in the disputed South China Sea or around Chinese-claimed Taiwan, Washington and its friends in the region have been drilling together U.S. Transportation Command, or TRANSCOM, is responsible not only for coordinating the pre-positioning of weapons and other equipment around the world by land, air and sea, but also for resupply in the event of a visit to East Asia, TRASNCOM Commander Randall Reed, told reporters it was essential to maintain and expand ties in the region so as to ensure a swift U.S. response to disasters and counter threats to peace and security."We're going to have a series of exercises and will test the current logistics architecture and infrastructure which provides sustained freedom of manoeuvre," he said on a teleconference, without giving further details of location or timing."We're seeking to demonstrate our ability to rapidly mobilise, then deploy forces from within the United States to locations throughout the region here," Reed added, describing the aim of one exercise, Mobility tasks will permit testing of tactics, techniques and procedures with allies and partners and enhance connectivity, he said."It will help us deepen relationships and work together even more closely than we already are to bolster regional security ."On his trip, Reed has visited Japan and the Philippines and will go to South Korea, all treaty allies of the United militaries of the Philippines and the United States have sailed together in the South China Sea for a seventh time to boost interoperability between the two sides, Manila's armed forces said on Thursday.
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
US military's logistics drill aims to burnish East Asia crisis response
U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS George Washington is pictured during Freedom Edge trilateral exercise among United States, Japan and South Korea in the East China Sea, south of the Korean peninsula and west of Japan's main islands November 14, 2024. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo TAIPEI - Drills in East Asia this summer by the U.S. military body charged with moving munitions and equipment will help it better coordinate and communicate with allies in response to a crisis, its commander said on Friday. Alarmed by growing Chinese assertiveness, whether in the disputed South China Sea or around Chinese-claimed Taiwan, Washington and its friends in the region have been drilling together regularly. The U.S. Transportation Command, or TRANSCOM, is responsible not only for coordinating the pre-positioning of weapons and other equipment around the world by land, air and sea, but also for resupply in the event of conflict. On a visit to East Asia, TRASNCOM Commander Randall Reed, told reporters it was essential to maintain and expand ties in the region so as to ensure a swift U.S. response to disasters and counter threats to peace and security. "We're going to have a series of exercises and will test the current logistics architecture and infrastructure which provides sustained freedom of manoeuvre," he said on a teleconference, without giving further details of location or timing. "We're seeking to demonstrate our ability to rapidly mobilise, then deploy forces from within the United States to locations throughout the region here," Reed added, describing the aim of one exercise, Mobility Guardian. The tasks will permit testing of tactics, techniques and procedures with allies and partners and enhance connectivity, he said. "It will help us deepen relationships and work together even more closely than we already are to bolster regional security." On his trip, Reed has visited Japan and the Philippines and will go to South Korea, all treaty allies of the United States. The militaries of the Philippines and the United States have sailed together in the South China Sea for a seventh time to boost interoperability between the two sides, Manila's armed forces said on Thursday. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
US military's logistics drill aims to burnish East Asia crisis response
TAIPEI (Reuters) -Drills in East Asia this summer by the U.S. military body charged with moving munitions and equipment will help it better coordinate and communicate with allies in response to a crisis, its commander said on Friday. Alarmed by growing Chinese assertiveness, whether in the disputed South China Sea or around Chinese-claimed Taiwan, Washington and its friends in the region have been drilling together regularly. The U.S. Transportation Command, or TRANSCOM, is responsible not only for coordinating the pre-positioning of weapons and other equipment around the world by land, air and sea, but also for resupply in the event of conflict. On a visit to East Asia, TRASNCOM Commander Randall Reed, told reporters it was essential to maintain and expand ties in the region so as to ensure a swift U.S. response to disasters and counter threats to peace and security. "We're going to have a series of exercises and will test the current logistics architecture and infrastructure which provides sustained freedom of manoeuvre," he said on a teleconference, without giving further details of location or timing. "We're seeking to demonstrate our ability to rapidly mobilise, then deploy forces from within the United States to locations throughout the region here," Reed added, describing the aim of one exercise, Mobility Guardian. The tasks will permit testing of tactics, techniques and procedures with allies and partners and enhance connectivity, he said. "It will help us deepen relationships and work together even more closely than we already are to bolster regional security." On his trip, Reed has visited Japan and the Philippines and will go to South Korea, all treaty allies of the United States. The militaries of the Philippines and the United States have sailed together in the South China Sea for a seventh time to boost interoperability between the two sides, Manila's armed forces said on Thursday.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hegseth orders immediate changes to troops' household goods program
With peak military moving season in full swing, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered immediate changes to the system that moves troops' household goods, in light of 'recent deficiencies' in the performance of the new Global Household Goods Contract, according to a Pentagon memo. That includes increasing the reimbursement rate for troops and families who decide to move all or part of their household goods themselves to 130% of what the government would have paid under the GHC contract for personally procured moves made May 15 through Sept. 30. The rate is currently 100%. 'I take my responsibilities to our service members, civilians and their families seriously,' Hegseth wrote in a May 20 memo to senior Pentagon leaders, combatant commanders and defense agencies. The new contract, worth potentially up to $17.9 billion over nine years, is aimed at fixing long-standing problems with missed pickup and delivery dates, broken and lost items and claims. However, amid the contract's rocky rollout this year, families have reported delays in getting their household goods picked up and delivered. 'We know it's not working and it's only getting worse. We've heard your concerns about contractor performance quality and accountability. We hear you loud and clear. That's why we're taking decisive action immediately,' Hegseth said in a video posted on X. He described the process as 'a mess,' and acknowledged 'it's never been a great system.' The current GHC rates 'fail to reflect market rates,' Hegseth said. He's ordered a review of the rates being paid to movers under both the new GHC system, which consolidates management under a single contractor, HomeSafe Alliance, and the legacy system, in an effort to ensure enough companies participate in moving troops' household goods. And since the rates for reimbursing service members for moving themselves are tied to those GHC rates, Hegseth ordered the increase to 130% of the GHC rate for personally procured moves. Hegseth has directed U.S. Transportation Command to hold both the GHC and the legacy moving program 'accountable' and to provide weekly updates to the offices of the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness and undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment. He's also ordered both of those offices to form a PCS task force to 'act decisively to improve, expand, terminate or transfer GHC or [legacy program] responsibilities as needed,' according to the memo. 'We're going to fix it holistically after peak moving season, and we're going to throw the kitchen sink at it to make sure your moves work this season as well,' Hegseth said. TRANSCOM, which had been gradually ramping up the volume of the moves with HomeSafe Alliance, since April 2024, had expected to move all domestic shipments under the new contract by this year's peak moving season, but they scrapped that plan earlier this year as problems began to mount with HomeSafe Alliance's ability to provide enough capacity to pack, load, truck and unload service members' belongs. Season of Uncertainty: Many questions remain as peak military moving time approaches In the meantime, officials are continuing to use both the new GHC system and the legacy system to move people, in an effort to ensure there are enough movers. Hegseth also said he fired Andy Dawson, the civilian head of the program, replacing him with a two-star general, Army Maj. Gen. Lance G. Curtis, commander of the Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command, who will report directly to Hegseth. Defense officials have had multiple meetings about the problem over the past few weeks, Hegseth said. A number of moving companies have declined to participate in the new GHC system, citing lower rates than they've been traditionally paid. When GHC can't find a mover for a service member's belongings, it turns the shipment back to TRANSCOM, and the shipment goes to a mover in the legacy system. At least 5,700 shipments have had to be turned away from GHC, according to the most recent estimate. But movers have complained that legacy system rates released earlier this month are also lower than those of previous years, further contributing to a lack of capacity to move household goods. 'It's a season of instability' for moving companies, said Dan Bradley, vice president of government and military relations for the International Association of Movers. It's been difficult for moving companies to plan for the season and make important decisions such as buying more trucks and hiring personnel, especially since until recently they were under the impression that 100% of DOD moves would be made under GHC, he said. 'They want to support service members in those moves,' he said, but it's difficult to turn around at the drop of a hat. 'They're doing the best they can. They want to stay in the program.'
Int'l Business Times
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Hegseth Left Trump Admin Frantic After Canceling Ukraine Aid Flights Without White House's Knowledge: Report
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly caused panic within the Trump administration earlier this year after he halted multiple freight airlines transporting aid and weaponry to Ukraine, failing to inform the White House of this decision. Hegseth's office ordered the airlines, which had been operating from the Dover Air Force Base in Delaware and a U.S. base in Qatar, to stop 11 flights carrying military aid destined for Ukraine, including artillery shells and other weaponry, Reuters reported. Officials in the White House and elsewhere in Washington then began to receive agitated correspondence from their allies in Ukraine, questioning where the order to stop flights from the U.S. Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) came from, and if the flights would resume at all. Flights resumed after a week, but top administration officials, including those working within the White House, the Pentagon and the State Department, did not know that was going to happen and did not have any answers for Ukrainian officials. It was later discovered that the office of the defense secretary delivered the verbal order to halt aid flights to Ukraine, according to TRANSCOM records obtained by Reuters. This incident occurred shortly after a meeting held by Trump at the Oval Office on January 30, which was attended by Hegseth and other national security officials. Sources present at this meeting told the outlet that the topic of Ukraine was discussed, adding that President Donald Trump did not order any official to withhold aid from the nation. In fact, Trump was not aware that Hegseth ordered flights to Ukraine to be halted at all, according to sources familiar with the private White House discussions. However, when asked to comment on the issue, the White House stated that Hegseth had been following a directive from the executive branch of government. Originally published on Latin Times
