International Food Assistance: Cargo Preference Increased Food Aid Shipping Costs; Benefits Remain Unclear

Abstract

Cargo preference laws require that a percentage of U.S. government cargo, including international food aid, be transported on U.S.-flag vessels according to geographic area, although the laws do not define "geographic area." One intention of these laws is to ensure a merchant marine - both vessels and mariners - capable of providing DOD sealift capacity in times of war or national emergency, including a full, prolonged activation of the reserve fleet. The reserve fleet is composed of those vessels owned by the U.S. government to meet logistic military needs that cannot be met by commercial vessels. Over the years, Congress has amended cargo preference laws to vary the CPFA percentage requirement. This testimony is based on an August 2015 GAO report that examined (1) CPFA's impact on food aid shipping cost and how U.S. agencies implement CPFA requirements; and (2) the extent to which implementation of CPFA requirements contributes to sufficient sealift capacity. It also provides an update on the implementation of actions recommended in the report.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 19, 2017
Accession Number
AD1167387

Entities

People

  • Thomas Melito

Organizations

  • United States Government Accountability Office

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Ground and Sea Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accountability
  • Agreements
  • Business Administration
  • Coast Guard
  • Congress
  • Department Of Defense
  • Electronic Mail
  • Geographic Regions
  • Governments
  • Law
  • Logistics
  • Maritime Industry
  • Procurement
  • Supply Chain
  • Supply Chain Management
  • United States
  • United States Government
  • United States Transportation Command

Readers

  • Gender and Food Studies
  • Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering.
  • Public Financial Management and Budgeting