https://crsreports.congress.gov
Updated October 13, 2022
Defense Primer: United States Transportation Command
United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM
or TRANSCOM) is a Department of Defense (DOD)
combatant command responsible for providing air, land,
and sea transportation across the globe to meet national
security needs.
History and Role
Established in 1987, TRANSCOM is headquartered at Scott
Air Force Base, IL. TRANSCOM is the U.S. military’s
primary logistics command, conducting global mobility
operations, enabling joint force projection and sustainment,
and functioning as the lead DOD element for transportation,
global patient movement, and bulk fuel management and
delivery.
Historically, TRANSCOM has provided strategic mobility
in support of several major contingency operations,
including Operation Desert Storm, Operation Enduring
Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The command has
also played a central role in emergency operations,
including the 2021 Afghanistan noncombatant evacuation
operation, and security assistance efforts, including the
provision of materiel to Ukraine following the 2022
Russian invasion.
Activities and Resources
TRANSCOM uses a mix of military assets, U.S.
commercial transportation providers, and foreign
partnerships to move DOD personnel and materiel across
the globe (see Figure 1). TRANSCOM is also responsible
for shipping personal property to support permanent change
of station moves for approximately 430,000
servicemembers annually. The command reports that, on
any given day, it manages 1,730 ground shipments, 33 ships
in transit, 455 airlift sorties, and 14 aeromedical
evacuations.
Figure 1. Selected TRANSCOM Activities
In calendar year 2021, TRANSCOM moved:
Source: CRS graphic based on analysis of TRANSCOM data.
TRANSCOM’s workforce is approximately 73% military
and 27% civilian, with a reported combined end strength of
16,682 for fiscal year (FY) 2021. TRANSCOM finances
most of its activities through the Transportation Working
Capital Fund (TWCF), a defense working capital fund (for
more information, see CRS In Focus IF11233, Defense
Primer: Defense Working Capital Funds). The TWCF
allows TRANSCOM to conduct activities with minimal
need for annual appropriations: instead, DOD components
and other federal agencies place orders for transportation
services, paying into the TWCF out of their own
appropriated funds. In FY2023, TRANSCOM anticipates
spending approximately $8.1 billion out of the TWCF.
Organization
TRANSCOM is comprised of a headquarters element, three
Transportation Component Commands (TCCs) assigned
from the Army, Navy, and Air Force, and two joint
subordinate commands (see Figure 2).
Figure 2. TRANSCOM Organizational Chart
Source: CRS graphic based on analysis of TRANSCOM data
Transportation Component Commands
Military Surface Deployment and Distribution
Command (SDDC). SDDC is the TRANSCOM Army
component responsible for surface transportation.
Headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, IL, SDDC uses
DOD capabilities and commercial partnerships to move
equipment and personnel by rail, road, and waterway.
SDDC also provides ocean terminal services, traffic
management, and transportation engineering globally.
SDDC is also a major subordinate command to Army
Materiel Command.
Military Sealift Command (MSC). MSC is the
TRANSCOM Navy component responsible for sealift and
ocean transportation, providing logistics support, moving
