Military Transportation in State Freight and Defense Community Plans

The US Department of Defense (DoD) makes extensive use of the US multimodal transportation network to move material for operational support, keep facilities supplied, and move personnel. Federal agencies, especially the US Department of Transportation, work closely with the DoD. States and localities also play a critical role in defense infrastructure. This research examines state freight and defense community plans to identify how the transportation needs of the DoD are being addressed in state planning. The findings are 72% of the 50 state freight plans mention defense transportation, while 34% considered defense transportation needs in-depth. About 6 of 19 identified state defense community plans mention transportation, but only 3 have specific defense transportation goals. Nationally, the DoD and federal agencies work closely together to maintain the nation’s defense transportation network, but at the local and state level closer cooperation on transportation issues should be developed. Military readiness remains high, but efficiencies in the system can be improved.