Contingency munitions logistics planning and control : a framework for analysis

Abstract

The importance of efficient logistics operations in military applications was made clear by the lessons of the Persian Gulf War. Although force application against Iraqi forces was deemed an overwhelming success, a lack of planning capability and real-time visibility over deploying cargo led to poor distribution control of sustainment assets and massive congestion at terminal facilities. Evolvements in force posture today dictate the need to support global power projection into austere theaters with minimal planning horizons. This research explores planning and control for US Army intermodal logistics operations, specifically the mobilization of containerized sustainment munitions. To provide necessary background, a high level description of CONUS transshipment operations and network infrastructure is given, along with a review of automated information systems being developed to provide real-time total asset visibility. Little work has been done to automate plan generation for decision support in this area. A hierarchical framework for deployment planning is presented, and a multi-commodity network flow model is formulated to generate munitions mobilization plans. Some extensions to the model are proposed, and performance is demonstrated through an initial implementation and scenario analysis. Requirements for operational use are discussed.