Latest news with #USTRANSCOM
ABC News
08-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
US military to export 'high risk' explosives to Australian ports amid arms expansion
Subcontractors in at least four Australian ports will soon handle United States military cargo containing gases and radioactive material, as part of an expanded contract with the US government, the ABC can reveal. The US Department of Defence is currently seeking tenders for port services in the Northern Territory, Queensland and Victoria, where it expects "indefinite quantities" of explosives, aircraft, classified and general cargo to be unloaded from ships and onto trucks. The tender solicitation issued by a US transportation battalion based in Yokohama, Japan, covers the handling of cargo shipped to and from Australia. An Australian Defence Force (ADF) spokesperson said shipments "were necessary to enable and support US exercises and activities in Australia". The ADF did not respond to questions about whether the cargo was also intended for Australian military use. Similar shipments into Australian ports are currently handled by German company EMS Shipping and Trading, as part of a $3.1 million contract awarded in 2023. But the US Military Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) says a new contract extending to 2030 will replace it. The contract is currently valued at $346,500, however that amount isn't finalised and is expected to increase. In a statement to bidders, USTRANSCOM said additional payments would be made weekly via "task orders" throughout the life of the contract. Twenty tonne containers of "explosives cargo" have been added to shipping manifests on the new contract, and in an attached statement to prospective contractors, USTRANSCOM said those containers "include gases, or radioactive". USTRANSCOM said contractors would be expected to comply with US laws around the handling of ammunition and explosives, including "rockets, missiles, warheads and devices". The new contract will also expand arms shipments to the Point Wilson port, between Geelong and Melbourne, which in 2023 was flagged for "large-scale importation of guided weapons and explosive ordnance" according to the Australian Department of Defence. The expansion of US arms shipments to other "secondary" Australian ports was also flagged, which USTRANSCOM said had not yet been identified, and would be separate to the 2025-2031 contract. The USTRANSCOM tender says contractor employees could be screened for "indications of criminal, terrorism, or threat-related activity or alliances detrimental" to the US or Australian governments. However USTRANSCOM did not respond to questions over whether the Port of Darwin's leaseholder, Chinese company Landbridge, would be subject to these conditions. In 2023, three months after the current contract for services at the Darwin Port was awarded, an Australian government review into Landbridge's lease found that "existing monitoring mechanisms are sufficient and will be ongoing." Defence industry consultant Darian Macey said the contract "broadens the [US] strategic footprint" in Australia, by adding more dangerous cargo and expanding arms shipments to Victoria's Point Wilson port. "While the contract itself doesn't specify end use, the inclusion of high-risk cargo types and expanded port access is consistent with broader trends we're seeing under AUKUS and allied posture initiatives," he said. Mr Macey said the contract signalled "a maturing [US] posture in the region" that could support rapid deployments throughout the Indo-Pacific. "Australia and the Indo-Pacific region is a theatre to the American military planners," he said. "Having those assets in theatre means that they can respond more rapidly, than if they had to bring those assets across from their home country." The Australian Department of Defence's Brigadier Mick Say told the recent Northern Australia Defence Summit that the pre-positioning of US military equipment in Australia had been "enabled" by the 2014 US Force Posture Agreement. He flagged a potential expansion in US Force Posture efforts after high-level ministerial talks between Canberra and Washington later this year. "That will lead to a number of other announcements, once agreed to by governments, in regards to the next steps of the Force Posture activities within Australia," he said.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pentagon wants to buy 10 cargo ships to bolster aging logistics fleet
The head of logistics for the United States' armed forces is calling for the purchase of 10 used cargo ships to bolster the aging fleet that supports American military operations overseas. Air Force Gen. Randall Reed, Commander of United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), made the request in a prepared statement at a hearing Thursday of the Senate Armed Services Committee. He expressed concern about the advanced age and declining readiness of the Ready Reserve Force, which is critical for positioning equipment and supplies from the U.S. during conflicts or crises. According to Reed, the median age of the fleet's 46 roll-on/roll-off ships is 47 years, with 14 ships being 50 years or older, some steam-powered. This aging fleet poses risks to USTRANSCOM's ability to rapidly deploy forces and equipment globally when needed. To address this issue, USTRANSCOM is supporting a Navy strategy to recapitalize the government-owned sealift fleet by acquiring used ships from the commercial market. So far, seven used vessels have been purchased, with two more expected in fiscal year 2025. This will add over 1.5 million square feet of useful capacity, Reed said in prepared remarks. However, Reed emphasized that more ships are urgently needed, as 30 existing vessels are scheduled for retirement between 2026 and 2034. He called the ability to purchase 10 used ships 'vital to maintain credible deterrence globally.' The general framed the recapitalization as part of a broader effort to preserve USTRANSCOM's unique capabilities in projecting American military power worldwide. He noted that no other nation or combination of nations can match the U.S. global airlift and sealift capacity. Reed tied the need for fleet modernization to increasing challenges from adversaries like China, which he said is actively seeking to compromise foreign infrastructure and hinder U.S. mobility. He warned that aging transportation assets, in the face of more capable adversaries, underscore the need for recapitalization across air, sea and land mobility forces. Beyond sealift, Reed also highlighted readiness concerns with the Air Force's aging KC-135 air refueling tankers and called for accelerated fielding of new KC-46 tankers. He described the air refueling fleet as USTRANSCOM's 'most stressed' capability. The USTRANSCOM commander's push for 10 additional cargo ships comes as part of a comprehensive effort to modernize America's military logistics capabilities. Reed emphasized that maintaining robust sealift capacity is crucial for deterring adversaries, reassuring allies, and giving national leaders strategic flexibility in responding to global crises. Find more articles by Stuart Chirls volumes post third-best January at Port of NY-NJ US shipyard for first time 3D printing parts for new aircraft carriers Stay flexible in a convoluted market, experts tell ocean shippers CMA CGM to invest $20B in US shipping, supply chain capabilities The post Pentagon wants to buy 10 cargo ships to bolster aging logistics fleet appeared first on FreightWaves.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Soldier's household goods destroyed in Killeen fire
Killeen, Tx (FOX44) – — III Armored Corps and Fort Cavazos confirm that a fire which occurred this past weekend in the city of Killeen, Texas, damaged and destroyed a number of warehoused household goods shipments belonging to military members and their families. Fort Cavazos authorities say they are working with Army Sustainment Command and surging support measures to assist affected individuals throughout the process. The command will activate its Emergency Family Action Center on Fort Cavazos and staff the center with experts who will assist affected personnel. The Department of Defense's United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), administers the Personal Property Program and will be on scene to support the assessment. Individuals will be notified directly if their household goods have been affected. III Armored Corps and Fort Cavazos officials are closely coordinating their response and support with USTRANSCOM. 'This is a terrible situation for our people who have lost their goods or had them damaged,' said Lt. Gen. Kevin D. Admiral, III Armored Corps and Fort Cavazos commanding general. 'While we are grateful nobody was injured, we recognize this is a tremendous loss and an incredibly stressful event for everyone affected. We are committed to supporting our Soldiers, families, and Army civilians through this, from start to finish.' Individuals with questions about their shipments may contact their servicing installation transportation office (ITO) or the Fort Cavazos ITO at 1-800-521-9959. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Are Trump administration deportation flights using planes from Joint Base Lewis-McChord?
Cargo planes from Joint Base Lewis-McChord are being used in the Trump administration's ramped-up deportation of immigrants in the country illegally, The News Tribune has learned. Military public affairs would not confirm the involvement of planes from the 62nd Airlift Wing, but photos provided by Davis-Mothan Air Force Base show airmen and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency personnel loading immigrants onto McChord-based C-17 planes at Tucson International Airport on Thursday. 'Due to security reasons we cannot identify the crews who are involved, which missions nor where the planes are based,' said U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) spokesperson Nate Allen. Allen said three C-17 flights took deportees to Guatemala. The first two planes headed to Columbia were turned around mid-flight when that country refused to accepted the deportees. On Tuesday, Columbia agreed to take immigrant flights. As of noon Tuesday, one flight was in the air, but Allen could not confirm the destination until the mission was over, he said. USTRANSCOM was told to prepare for 80 passengers per flight, he said. The average per hour cost to operate a C-17 is $28,500, Allen said. A round trip flight from Tucson to Guatemala City takes about 12 hours. That would mean each trip costs approximately $342,000 or $4,275 per deportee. Photos show the vast interiors of the C-17 lined with seated passengers overseen by masked government officers and armed military personnel. The immigrants are handcuffed and wear chains around their waists. USTRANSCOM is tasked with providing the planes and personnel to fly them. It gets its orders from U.S. Northern Command, Allen said. The U.S. State Department oversees diplomatic permissions while U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are tasked with arrests. 'It's definitely not a unilateral effort,' Allen said. 'There's lots of moving pieces that are making this happen.' President Donald Trump is working to fulfill his campaign promise of carrying out the biggest mass deportation in U.S. history.
