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Updated December 23, 2020
Defense Primer: United States Transportation Command
United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM
TRANSCOM operates in over 85% of the world’s
or TRANSCOM) is a Department of Defense (DOD)
countries. To accomplish its missions, the command uses
functional combatant command responsible for providing
military assets; it also relies heavily on its commercial-
air, land, and sea transportation to meet national security
sector partners. TRANSCOM’s commercial partnerships
needs. TRANSCOM’s assigned mission is to “conduct
are reflected in its large volume of contracting activities.
globally integrated mobility operations, lead the broader
See Table 1 for TRANSCOM’s contracting estimates for
joint deployment and distribution enterprise, and provide
FY2020.
enabling capabilities to project and sustain the Joint Force.”
It is the centerpiece of the Defense Transportation System,
Table 1. Estimated FY2020 USTRANSCOM
which comprises U.S. military, U.S. commercial, and
Expenditures on Contracted Services
foreign transportation resources.
Division
Programs
FY2020
Established in 1987, TRANSCOM is located at Scott Air
Force Base (AFB), IL. Historically, the command has
Airlift Division
10
$2.3B
provided strategic mobility in support of several major
Sealift Services
6
$877M
contingency operations from Operations Desert Shield and
Desert Storm to Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. It
Specialized Transportation
15
$2.5B
has supported peacekeeping initiatives such as Operations
& Support
Restore Hope (Somalia), Uphold Democracy (Haiti), and
Information Technology &
Support Hope (Rwanda). It has also aided humanitarian
60
$251M
Related Services
relief operations in response to natural disasters such as
Hurricanes Dorian, Florence, and Michael.
Source: USTRANSCOM.
TRANSCOM has a workforce of over 116,000 personnel,
Component Commands
of which about 45% are in the Reserve Component. The
TRANSCOM’s Transportation Component Commands
command reports that on any given day it conducts more
(TCCs) fulfill roles in training, equipping, and resourcing
than 240 air missions, has 20 ships underway, and sends
the forces necessary to carry out TRANSCOM’s global
1,500 ground shipments. TRANSCOM also manages over
missions. TRANSCOM is composed of three TCCs, one
555,000 personal property shipments each year associated
each from the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force. A
with Permanent Change of Station, or PCS, moves as part
description of each follows.
of its steady-state operations (Figure 1). Additionally, as
DOD’s single manager for global patient movement, the
Military Surface Deployment and Distribution
command provides aeromedical evacuation and in-transit
Command (SDDC)
care to wounded servicemembers. As of December 9,
Military SDDC, headquartered at Scott AFB, is
TRANSCOM reports transporting over 6,000 patients this
TRANSCOM’s Army component that is responsible for all
year, including 71 with battle injuries.
defense surface transportation. SDDC connects “surface
Figure 1.
warfighting requirements through distribution network
USTRANSCOM Shipping Providers
nodes to the point of need, responsively projecting power
and delivering desired effects in support of the Combatant
Commands [COCOMs] and the Total Joint Force.” SDDC
is also involved in planning and executing the surface
delivery of equipment and supplies to all deployed
servicemembers.
Military Sealift Command (MSC)
MSC is TRANSCOM’s Navy component headquartered at
Naval Station Norfolk, VA. MSC operates 126 civilian-
crewed ships that replenish U.S. Navy ships, provide
logistics support and strategic sealift, and perform
specialized missions around the world. MSC is responsible
for the ocean transportation of military cargo and supplies
used by deployed U.S. forces and coalition partners. During
contingencies, MSC also exercises operational command
Source: CRS analysis of USTRANSCOM data, December 2020.
over the Maritime Administration’s (MARAD’s) Ready
Reserve Force (See CRS Report R45725, Shipping Under
https://crsreports.congress.gov
Defense Primer: United States Transportation Command
the Jones Act: Legislative and Regulatory Background, by
responsibility in areas involving ships and shipping,
John Frittelli).
shipbuilding, port operations, vessel operations, national
security, environment, and safety. Through the VISA
Air Mobility Command (AMC)
program, DOD develops transportation solutions in
AMC, TRANSCOM’s Air Force component headquartered
anticipation of its wartime requirements.
at Scott AFB, provides airlift and aerial refueling services
for all U.S. armed forces. AMC also provides rapid
Defense Freight Transportation Service (DFTS). DFTS,
transportation services in response to humanitarian crises
designed for high-volume, repetitive shipments between
and natural disasters.
fixed locations, is a collaboration between TRANSCOM,
the Defense Logistics Agency, and the Defense Contract
Major Subordinate Units
Management Agency. Under DFTS, “commercial third
In addition to the TCCs, TRANSCOM has one subordinate
party firm[s] … manage and coordinate transportation” of
command and one joint directorate. The Joint Enabling
DOD freight shipments using all forms of surface
Capabilities Command, or JECC, is TRANSCOM’s
transportation. TRANSCOM is responsible for program
subordinate command that “provides mission-tailored
execution.
capability packages on short notice to assist Combatant
Commanders to plan, prepare, establish, and operate Joint
Considerations for Congress
Force Headquarters in globally integrated operations.” The
Fuel price volatility. TRANSCOM’s operations and
Joint Reserve Component Directorate is a joint directorate
annual budget are affected by even small changes in fuel
under TRANSCOM that provides trained reserve
prices, which are subject to multiple factors such as
component forces to support TRANSCOM’s mission. This
supply and demand, value of the dollar, and geopolitical
directorate includes the Joint Transportation Reserve Unit,
risks and events (see CRS In Focus IF11202, Oil Price
or JTRU, which augments TRANSCOM in providing air,
Volatility and the Department of Defense, by Heather L.
land, and sea transportation for DOD.
Greenley). TRANSCOM uses a Defense Working
Commercial Assets
Capital Fund to mitigate price volatility, however the
fund serves multiple purposes (see CRS In Focus
The Commander of TRANSCOM, with the approval of the
IF11233, Defense Primer: Defense Working Capital
Secretary of Defense, has the authority to develop and
Funds, by G. James Herrera).
maintain contractual relationships between DOD and the
commercial transportation industry to cultivate concepts,
Sealift Fleet Readiness. In September 2019,
requirements, and procedures that provide responsive
TRANSCOM conducted the largest no-notice sealift
strategic mobility capabilities. Examples of DOD airlift,
readiness exercise in the command’s history. The
sealift, and surface transportation programs involving the
exercise activated 61 MSC and MARAD sealift vessels
commercial transportation industry include the following
and “required substantial contributions from maritime
selected examples.
labor and the sealift industry.” TRANSCOM reported
that 39 of the 61 ships activated (~64%) were ready for
Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF). The CRAF “is a
tasking—a rate which they determined could delay the
cooperative, voluntary program involving the [Department
buildup of combat power in a theater of operations.
of Transportation] DOT, DOD and the U.S. civil air carrier
TRANSCOM concluded the exercise “reinforced the
industry in a partnership to augment DOD aircraft
need for recapitalization, [and] appropriate levels of
capability during a national defense related crisis.” The
resourcing to correct material deficiencies.” Congress
program derives its authority from the Defense Production
may wish to further explore the state of sealift fleet
Act of 1950, but was instituted by Presidential Executive
readiness in terms of capabilities and resourcing.
Order 10219 in February 1951. DOD and DOT work
collaboratively to manage the CRAF program to meet DOD
airlift requirements in emergencies when the need for airlift
Relevant Statutes
exceeds the capability of the military’s aircraft fleet. All
Title 10, U.S. Code, Chapter 157 – Transportation
CRAF aircraft must be U.S.-registered carriers that are fully
Title 10, U.S. Code, Chapter 961 – Civil Reserve Air Fleet
certified by the Federal Aviation Administration. To
Title 10, U.S. Code, §2218 – National Defense Sealift Fund
provide incentives for civil carriers, the participating
airlines are given preference in carrying commercial
peacetime cargo and passenger traffic for DOD. As of
Other Resources
October 2020, 26 carriers and 451 aircraft are enrolled in
CRAF (figures updated by DOD on a quarterly basis).
DOD Instruction 5158.06, JDDE Planning and Operations
Defense Transportation Regulations 4500.9-R (Parts 1–VII)
Voluntary Intermodal Sealift Agreement (VISA).
Joint Publication 4-01, The Defense Transportation System
Secretary of Defense William Cohen approved creation of
the VISA program on January 30, 1997. Similar to CRAF,
VISA is a partnership between MARAD and the U.S.
maritime industry to provide DOD with assured access to
Tyler F. Hacker, Analyst in Defense Logistics
commercial sealift and intermodal capacity to support the
G. James Herrera, Analyst in U.S. Defense Readiness and
emergency deployment and sustainment of U.S. military
Infrastructure
forces. Established under DOT in 1981, MARAD has
IF11479
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Defense Primer: United States Transportation Command
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