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U.S. Transportation Command warns contested logistics will shape future conflicts; senators press readiness steps
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Summary
Witnesses and senators at a Senate Readiness Subcommittee hearing focused on how U.S. Transportation Command (Transcom) is preparing for contested logistics across sea, air and land, emphasizing recapitalization, cyber resilience, fuel assessments and partnerships with the commercial sector.
The Readiness Subcommittee of the Senate Armed Services Committee heard testimony on Transcom’s posture and priorities, with the command’s leader outlining steps to prepare U.S. logistics for contested environments.
Transcom’s commander told the panel that the command is a “warfighting command” that “projects, maneuvers, and sustains the joint force anytime, anywhere,” and said the command is adapting plans, exercises and planning relationships to address adversaries’ efforts to disrupt transportation networks.
Why it matters: Committee members said contested logistics — attacks or disruption against ports, airfields, fuel supplies and commercial networks — will be a central battlefield in a future great-power fight and that Transcom’s ability to sustain forces depends on modernized fleets, cyber-hardened commercial integrations and resilient, distributed energy and fuel approaches.
In his opening remarks, Chairman Dan Sullivan said Transcom “is a very, very important combatant command” and pressed the witness on how the command is addressing contested logistics through “enhanced resiliency in sea lift, air lift, and overland transportation.” The witness described expanded planning with combatant commands and allied peers and said Transcom is running “contested logistics” scenarios as part of theater fuel assessments.
Committee members raised several recurring priorities: recapitalizing the sealift and Ready Reserve Force, recapitalizing and connecting air refueling and airlift fleets, hardening the cyber connections with commercial carriers and the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF), and ensuring global household goods moves do not degrade readiness. The witness said Transcom is conducting fuel assessments with INDOPACOM and CENTCOM and is using those assessments to drive contested-logistics planning.
On cyber and commercial partners, the witness cautioned that “most of our capability actually resides in the commercial realm” and noted that commercial networks are not as protected as DoD networks; he said Transcom collaborates with law enforcement, U.S. Cyber Command and the Coast Guard to share information and improve resilience.
Several senators urged a single manager or clearer joint authority for contested logistics. The witness said he would “look at that and structure that” to determine how Transcom could contribute under existing authorities.
The hearing concluded with the committee scheduling a classified follow-on session for more detailed operational discussion and with the command committing to provide requested follow-up information to the members.
The public-record hearing transcript shows extensive exchanges during the open session and identifies multiple follow-up items the committee plans to submit for the record.
