Durbin Meets With Transcom Commander For Breifing On Servicemember Vehicle Transport Program
[WASHINGTON, DC] – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) met yesterday with Air Force General Paul Selva, Commander of U.S. Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) at Scott Air Force Base, to receive an update regarding TRANSCOM’s progress resolving issues with International Auto Logistics (IAL), a contractor tasked with transporting servicemembers’ private vehicles when they move stations. When IAL took over the contract for the vehicle transport program in May 2014, servicemembers and their families encountered excessive and unreasonable delays receiving their cars. Since learning of these delays, Durbin has worked with General Selva and TRANSCOM to resolve these issues, and to ensure that IAL is capable of meeting the demands of the program. A photo of the meeting with General Selva is available here.
“For the better part of a year, General Paul Selva and the team at U.S. Transportation Command have been working hard to bring International Auto Logistics’ contract into compliance. It hasn’t been a quick or an easy task, and I appreciate their commitment to getting this program on the right track,” Durbin said. “With the vehicle transport program’s peak season fast approaching, I met with General Selva to receive an update on the plan IAL has in place to meet the demand. With TRANSCOM’s continuing oversight, I remain hopeful that this contractor is now better prepared to meet the needs of our nation’s servicemembers and their families.”
In August 2014, after learning that the majority of vehicles being transported by IAL were arriving late or not at all, Senator Durbin wrote to General Selva and asked that he provide him with regular updates on the progress of TRANSCOM and IAL’s mitigation plan, including on-time delivery rates, the number of vehicles in transit, and the status of the process to reimburse service members and their families for their hardship.
In October 2014, as delays persisted, Senators Durbin and Cochran – then the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense – wrote to the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) to request an audit of the vehicle transport program. In response to their letter, the DMCA contacted the Department of Defense Inspector General, which began an investigation into the program. This in-depth investigation is not expected to conclude until later this year.
Durbin serves as Vice Chairman of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, which oversees funding for the military and intelligence community, the nation’s national security requirements and the daily needs of over two million active duty and reserve service members. The Subcommittee also oversees funding for Overseas Contingency Operations, including military operations worldwide. All told, the Subcommittee controls more than half of the nation’s annual discretionary budget.