The National Defense Transportation Association and U.S. Transportation Command’s fall meeting scheduled in St. Louis next week is the latest victim of the federal government shutdown.
The conference, which had previously attracted 2,000 people, has been canceled because many government employees cannot travel during the shutdown. It was co-sponsored by the U.S. Transportation Command, which is based at Scott Air Force Base in the Metro East.
The meeting’s organizers wrote in an email to attendees on Thursday morning that they were “whole heartedly disappointed to cancel” the conference.
The four-day meeting had been scheduled to take place at St. Louis’ Union Station Hotel from Monday to Thursday. The annual conference brings together the U.S. government, leaders of industry and academics who support or study the military’s ability to transport crew, equipment, weapons and fuel across the globe.
The conference serves as an opportunity for military leaders to communicate to industry leaders their needs and challenges because private businesses, like UPS and United Airlines, transport 85% to 90% of the combatant command’s cargo and freight, according to the military.
Gen. Randall Reed, commander of U.S. Transportation Command, had been scheduled to speak about how the military and its commercial partners planned to overcome those challenges.
Last year’s meeting attracted nearly 2,000 attendees, according to the National Defense Transportation Association Foundation. Next year’s meeting is scheduled for Dallas, but the event is scheduled to return to St. Louis in 2027.
Most Transportation Command staff, including some 900 civilians in the Metro East, are not among those furloughed during the government shutdown. The combatant command is funded by what’s called a “working capital fund,” which is designed to insulate it from fiscal year appropriations and allow for flexibility during a military emergency.
