Daniel Michaels and Nancy A. Youssef of The Wall Street Journal report that the Pentagon’s limited capacity to support a potential China conflict could force planners to tap private cargo companies. They Write:
Every two weeks since late last year, officers here convene a classified intelligence briefing about fighting in the Red Sea. The attendees aren’t politicians, policymakers or spies. They are private shipping executives.
The meetings are part of a push by the Pentagon’s Transportation Command, or Transcom, to integrate shipping lines as crisis supply lines.
The policy stems from a dire need in an unloved but vital corner of America’s military behemoth. A House select committee in February called Transcom’s sea-cargo capacity “woefully inadequate.” […]
China’s rise has exposed America’s shipping weakness. Beijing isn’t just Washington’s biggest military rival. It is also by far the world’s biggest logistics operation. […]
In conflict with China, the Pentagon would send roughly 90% of its provisions by sea. Among 44 government-owned ships for moving vehicles that Transcom can tap, 28 will retire within eight years. Replacements have faced repeated delays. […]
Van Ovost said Transcom is learning from industry. “They are competing for our business, and we’re taking their advice,” she said.
She said private carriers can offer a bridge, but ultimately the U.S. needs a military-cargo fleet.
“You can do commercial,” said Van Ovost. “But not when you’re being shot at.”
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