https://crsreports.congress.gov
Updated September 10, 2024
Defense Primer: United States Transportation Command
United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM)
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 and headquartered at Scott Air Force
Base, IL, USTRANSCOM serves as 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.
USTRANSCOM 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, such as the 2021
Afghanistan noncombatant evacuation operation, and
security assistance efforts, including the provision of
materiel to Ukraine (following Russia’s 2022 invasion) and
Israel (following Hamas’ 2023 attack on Israel).
Activities and Resources
USTRANSCOM uses a mix of military assets, commercial
transportation providers, and foreign partnerships to move
DOD personnel and materiel across the globe (see Figure
1). In a given year, USTRANSCOM also transports
thousands of medical patients, and handles the shipment of
personal property in support of hundreds of thousands of
permanent change of station (PCS) moves.
Figure 1. USTRANSCOM Activities
In 2023, USTRANSCOM transported:
Source: General Jacqueline Van Ovost, “Statement Before the
Senate Armed Services Committee on the State of the Command,”
April 11, 2024, https://www.armed-
services.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/van_ovost_statement.pdf.
USTRANSCOM’s workforce is approximately 73%
military and 27% civilian, with a reported combined end
strength of 17,120 for fiscal year (FY) 2024.
USTRANSCOM finances its activities through the
Transportation Working Capital Fund (TWCF), a defense
working capital fund. The TWCF allows USTRANSCOM
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. As of
2024, USTRANSCOM reported spending approximately
$9.5 billion on transportation annually.
Organization
USTRANSCOM 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. USTRANSCOM Organizational Chart
Source: CRS graphic based on analysis of USTRANSCOM data.
Transportation Component Commands
Military Surface Deployment and Distribution
Command (SDDC). SDDC is the USTRANSCOM 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 a major subordinate command to Army Materiel
Command.
Military Sealift Command (MSC). MSC is the
USTRANSCOM Navy component responsible for sealift
and ocean transportation, providing logistics support,
moving equipment and cargo, and supplying U.S. and
