Global Agility

The 2018 National Defense Strategy (NDS) directed the United States’ focus on the great power competition, identifying the reemergence of long-term, strategic competition by the revisionist powers of China and Russia as a challenge to U.S. prosperity and security.  Key aspects to competing in this arena include force posture, alliance and partnership architecture, and modernization to provide capability and agility. Force posture not only relates to a lethal Joint Force, but to the capability to move and sustain the Joint Force anywhere in the world. For this reason, the Global Agility (GA) ecosystem enables U.S. national security objectives through both economic and military elements of power. America’s intermodal network delivers goods and services in support of the economy and in the mobilization and sustainment of a Joint Force. Furthermore, the GA commercial ecosystem encompasses 90 percent of the nation’s strategic lift capabilities and the infrastructure used to store strategic national materiel. The GA ecosystem is vital to the health of the U.S. economy and national security, solidifying its importance as an industry study at the Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy.

Students of the Global Agility Industry Study (GAIS) researched the Global Agility (GA) ecosystem consisting of seven industries to include Rail, Trucking, Air Freight, Ports and Harbors, Deep Water Shipping, Inland Waterways and Warehousing. Students examined the role of each industry in the movement of goods worldwide along with its impact on the national security of the United States (U.S.). Through site visits as well as research and dialogue with leaders in the industry, the seminar identified challenges faced by each industry to meet this responsibility. Though some travel was canceled due to the COVID-19 crisis, students were able to apply mobilization concepts and strategies to a real-time crisis in all aspects of their studies; however, COVID-19 is not the focus of this report. Specifically, while the COVID-19 pandemic may have highlighted some near-term issues, the findings address existing and sustained issues within the GA ecosystem. Accordingly, the research resulted in the following three findings and resource informed policy recommendations:

Finding 1: The U.S. lacks an integrated national transportation strategic plan. This promotes intermodal competition rather than optimization of current infrastructure capacity.

Recommendation 1: Develop and publish a national transportation strategic plan that supports the NDS, promotes intermodal cooperation, and maximizes capacity. The plan must address human capital, funding, emerging technology, and foreign investment challenges.

Finding 2: The GA ecosystem contends with human capital challenges defined predominately by an aging workforce, lack of diversity, and decreasing interest by younger generations. 

Recommendation 2: Develop a national plan to incentivize vocational training programs and reduce barriers to entry in key industries.

Finding 3: U.S. transportation infrastructure development lacks consistent and sufficient funding.

Recommendation 3: Amend the Defense Production Act (DPA) to increase access to production loans, establish a National Infrastructure Bank to provide economical, long-term financing for infrastructure projects, and adjust tax codes to increase tax code parity across all modes.

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