Toward Resiliency in the Joint Blood Supply Chain
Abstract
The Joint military community provides a wide array of medical support services to its personnel. As in the civilian medical sphere, an essential component of that care is the provision of blood and blood products to patients, both in the United States and overseas. Blood is important not only for its use in a variety of medical therapies and treatments, but also for its utility to surgical patients and trauma victims. Ensuring that blood and blood products remain safe and available for patients requires sophisticated logistical support, especially for the military community's provision of blood to its medical operations around the globe. However, some operating environments that the U.S. military might face in the future could lead to challenges in the operation of the blood supply chain, especially insourcing, storage, and distribution. For example, peer and near-peer adversaries could conduct large-scale combat operations with a capability to significantly degrade the freedom of movement for U.S. forces. In those environments, combat action could result in significant demand spikes for blood while simultaneously limiting the capacity to transport products to forward operating locations. The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency's (DARPA's) Defense Sciences Office asked the RAND Corporation to examine these challenges and to explore mechanisms that might offer greater resiliency in the military's management of its blood supply chain operations. This report is oriented toward a general readership interested in learning about blood supply chains, the challenges they may face, and mechanisms to strengthen them. Medical professionals with an interest in blood should also find the analysis of value, especially in its presentation of frameworks for exploring supply chain resiliency. Logisticians and supply chain managers for other product lines may find the examination of the blood supply chain useful as an analogue for exploring resiliency in their own operations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2018
- Accession Number
- AD1086289
Entities
People
- Anthony Decicco
- Brent Thomas
- John A. Hamm
- Katherine Anania
Organizations
- RAND Corporation