
The leader of U.S. Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) is defending the Trump administration’s fiscal year 2019 request to buy up to 24 foreign-built, used commercial ships for the military’s reserve fleet, saying they are the cheapest, fastest option to replace aging cargo vessels.Asked by members of the Senate Armed Services Committee why the ships would not be built in the United States, Air Force Gen. Darren McDew, TRANSCOM’s commander, testified April 10 that 20-year-old, foreign-made ships are available for purchase at the…