National Defense Reserve Fleet / Ready Reserve Force Ship Management

Agency

Maritime Administration (MARAD) / Department of Defense

Acronym

NDRF/RRF

Budget

Phase

Ongoing

Domain

Strategic sealift ship management

• CompanyTOTE Services LLCJacksonville, Florida ship-management and vessel-construction-management firm, part of the Saltchuk family of companies. Pioneered the third-party Vessel Construction Manager (VCM) model for US government shipbuilding; won the US Navy's first-ever VCM award for the Medium Landing Ship program in July 2026, and serves as VCM for MARAD's NSMV program.

No linked records yet.

What is National Defense Reserve Fleet / Ready Reserve Force Ship Management?

MARAD's Ready Reserve Force ship-management program provides strategic sealift readiness by contracting private ship managers to maintain, crew, and operate government-owned vessels for rapid activation during military deployments, crises, or emergencies. In July 2025, MARAD signed 20 ten-year contracts worth a combined $6.2 billion to manage 51 RRF vessels, split among seven ship-management companies. TOTE Services holds contracts covering 14 of the 51 vessels.

Which agency runs National Defense Reserve Fleet / Ready Reserve Force Ship Management?

National Defense Reserve Fleet / Ready Reserve Force Ship Management is run by Maritime Administration (MARAD) / Department of Defense and is also known as NDRF/RRF.

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