Gen. Reed, Commander of U.S. Transportation Command, Engages With Naval War College Faculty and Students

NEWPORT, Rhode Island – U.S. Air Force Gen. Randall Reed, commander of U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), spoke to staff, faculty and students at the U.S. Naval War College during a visit to the Newport, Rhode Island, campus on April 8.

Reed delivered remarks and answered questions from students and faculty in support of the war college’s Perspectives on Modern War (PMW) course before receiving a brief on contested logistics wargame results and engaging with supply and mobility specialists in a smaller group discussion.

“There is nothing more important to the Navy and the Joint Force than logistics in a successful military operation,” said NWC President Rear Adm. Darryl Walker. “The U.S. military logistics system is the best in the world, in part, because U.S. Transportation Command is unmatched in its ability to provide full-spectrum global mobility solutions to enable force projection and lethal effects any time and any place required.

“As we train warfighters at the U.S. Naval War College to plan and lead operations, we ensure they fully understand this critical aspect of winning wars,” he continued. “Hearing directly from Gen. Reed proved to be an eye-opening and transformative way for our military officers to receive invaluable insights that will resonate for many years to come. It’s clear his information was absorbed — and will truly stick. I cannot thank Gen. Reed enough for taking time out of his schedule to ensure our next generation of operational leaders are prepared to join the fight."

Before taking over as commander of USTRANSCOM in October 2024, Reed served as deputy commander of Air Mobility Command at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois and commander of Third Air Force at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. A graduate of the U.S. Army Light Fighter Air Assault School, Reed is a command pilot with more than 3,500 flight hours in transport, cargo, bomber and refueling aircraft.

Reed told the war college audience that, in his position, he must look at the world through the lenses of current operations, oncoming needs of combatant commanders and potential goals of national leaders in order to anticipate how to best position forces to support warfighters around the globe.

"Strategy means different things at different times to different people at different levels," Reed said to the students in attendance. "As a developing senior leader, we are investing in you to make you better equipped to operate at all of those levels at the same time."

The general added that the war college students "probably have some preconceived ideas about, once you leave here, how to take these lessons and apply them to what's going on in the world."

 "I will tell you that education is very valuable and the conversations you've had here are very important, but one thing you must keep in mind is that context matters," he said. "Every single theorist that you've discussed across the course of the year and that you'll continue to reference, they all have relevance, but they're not all relevant at the same time. Still, you need to consider them all."

Perspectives on Modern War is part of the war college’s core curriculum and, unlike other courses, runs throughout the entire academic year. In PMW, students take lessons from studies and apply them to emerging challenges in the international security environment.

Content from senior guest lectures – like Reed – as well as annual symposia, seminars, reading assignments, and wargaming results are synthesized to enable students to answer the most critical warfighting questions of the modern day.

NWC delivers excellence in education, research, and outreach, informing today’s decision-makers and educating tomorrow’s leaders. The college provides educational experiences and learning opportunities that develop students’ ability to anticipate and prepare strategically for the future, strengthen the foundations of peace, and create a decisive warfighting advantage.