Optimal Positional of Remotely Piloted Fuel Bladders to Support Distributed Maritime Operations
Abstract
This thesis research examines the problem of optimally routing a remotely piloted fuel bladder (RPB) to effectively serve distributed maritime forces. In response to changes in the global threat environment, the U.S. Navy is developing new concepts that involve distributed surface forces operating in large threat areas over prolonged periods at sea. An idea that has been identified to support increasingly distributed forces is the use of minimally manned or unmanned prepositioned bulk fuel storage systems as part of a larger fuel distribution network. While current U.S. defense maritime logistics forces can continue to be called upon to resupply surface forces, they were not designed to support distributed maritime operations. Doing so may, in turn, affect mission effectiveness and operational outcomes. The problem is modeled as a dynamic facility location problem - how to relocate the RPB over discrete-time periods relative to the locations of the distributed surface forces or supported units (SUs). A Markov decision process model is formulated and analyzed with the objective of minimizing the total cost to serve the SUs, whose movements can be stochastic in nature.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 2020
- Accession Number
- AD1127107
Entities
People
- Jeremy T. Tan
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School