It's been awhile, but it's good to have you back, Dave. Now find the darn cars.

Last summer USTRANSCOM was misplacing cars of military personnel returning from overseas posts.  Technically, it was one of TRANSCOM’s contractors, but there is no evading accountability.  TRANSCOM owns the problem.

We wrote about it in, “We haven’t lost your car. We just don’t know where it is.”  Things are getting better, but it is still imperfect.

About a week before Christmas, the Senate confirmed Dave Berteau as assistant secretary of defense for logistics and materiel readiness.  We also wrote about that a couple of months ago, in “What about Dave? A familiar face returning to logistics at the Office of the Secretary of Defense.”

One of the questions teed up for Dave’s confirmation hearing on December 2 was those pesky missing cars. 

“Since International Auto Logistics (IAL) took over the shipment of personal vehicles owned by military service members last May, several reports have arisen regarding delays in the shipping and tracking of vehicles.  What is your understanding of the performance of IAL since assuming its logistical responsibilities last May?”

Dave testified that he will “examine contract requirements and contractor performance, including corrective actions and mechanisms to hold the contractor accountable.”

Contrast Dave’s commitment to hold the contractor accountable with TRANSCOM’s earlier statements about taking “steps to restore confidence of service members and their families in the POV shipping process.”

This isn’t a confidence issue, it’s a performance issue, and Dave is on it.  If this is an example of the sort accountability that the Honorable David Berteau intends to establish in the military logistics community, it will be a fun couple of years.

Glad to have you back, Dave.