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Retired U.S. Army Gen. Stephen Lyons has been appointed as the new port and supply chain envoy to a group created by the White House last June to mitigate economic problems arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are grateful that Gen. Lyons, formerly commander of the U.S. Transportation Command, will now take on the role of ports and supply chain envoy, working across every level of government, labor and industry to strengthen America’s supply chain,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Lyons replaces John Porcari, who was appointed as ports envoy in August to address shipping concerns, according to a joint White House and U.S. Department of Transportation announcement May 27.
It appears the role of envoy now has been expanded to include supply chain disruptions compared to when it was created last year primarily to address port congestion.
“Global supply chains will remain fragile as long as the pandemic continues to disrupt ports and factories around the world, and a lot of work remains to reduce shipping delays and costs for American families,” Buttigieg remarked.
As with his predecessor, Lyons will work with DOT, the White House National Economic Council, ports, rail, trucking and other private companies in the supply chain to address bottlenecks, speed up freight transportation and help lower costs for American families.
Last June, the White House established the first ever Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force to mitigate economic problems arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I look forward to rolling up my sleeves and continuing to engage industry, labor and port stakeholders to improve the fluidity of our supply chains, cut down on shipping costs and ultimately save money for the American people,” Lyons said, in the government’s announcement about his new role.
In August 2018, Lyons became the 13th commander of USTRANSCOM (one of 11 combatant commands in the U.S. Department of Defense), whose mission is to project and sustain military power globally.
He served in the military for 36 years in positions of progressive leadership responsibility. A native of Rensselaer, N.Y., Lyons graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology and has master’s degrees from the Naval Postgraduate School in logistics management and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in national resource strategy. His awards include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal and the Master Parachutist Badge.
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