Strategic Seaports
The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Maritime Administration (MARAD), has designated particular ports around the United States as “strategic seaports.” Strategic seaports are designated because of their ability to support major force and material deployments in times of war and national emergency, based on their proximity to deploying military units and their transportation links close to those units, and varying other capabilities the DOD has deemed important…
Port of Anchorage Receives $10m
The Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration announced the receipt of $10m from the Department of Defense, Office of Economic Adjustment, to continue Port of Anchorage, Alaska, with its infrastructure improvements. The funding will allow the port to complete the next phase of its $700m renovation and expansion, which will add an additional 18 acres of new real estate to the port. The Port of Anchorage is undergoing a $700m major renovation and expansion to support both increasing Department of Defense use of the port, as well as its growing commercial use. The port serves more than 80 percent of Alaska’s population, with 90 percent of consumer goods flowing through it, and it is the major gateway for equipment supporting the state’s energy industry.
Army to Demonstrate New High Speed Vessel
The Army's future force will soon meet the future of Army transportation when Stryker interim armored vehicles are transported to the Port of Tacoma on a high-speed Army watercraft. The HSV-X1 Joint Venture will pull into port on August 13 carrying soldiers and vehicles of a Fort Lewis-based Stryker Brigade Combat Team returning from a military exercise in California. The Army leased the Joint Venture, a wave-piercing catamaran, to assess the capabilities of this type of technology for future procurement. The test vessel is capable of sustained speeds greater than 40 knots, and is four times faster than current Army watercraft. The 313-ft. aluminum catamaran can carry 850 short tons and accommodate 363 personnel, including crew.
