A Decision Methodology and Organizational Structure for Determining the Mission Essentiality of Rail Service to U.S. Air Force Installations
Abstract
Railroads are vital to defense logistics requirements. However, Congressional legislation has eroded the 'public interest' criteria, which includes national defense, as adequate DOD justification for the railroad industry's retention of unprofitable light density lines. Consequently, some carriers are abandoning rail lines serving defense installations. In response, the DOD established the Railroads for National Defense (RND) Program in 1975. Still, none of the military services have a standard definition of rail service mission essentiality, or an organizational structure or analytical model for assessing the impacts of and alternatives to proposed rail abandonments to their bases. The objective of this thesis, therefore, was to help reduce these apparent shortfalls. To accomplish this, evaluations of past military and civilian abandonment cases were conducted, and senior logisticians across the CONUS MAJCOM's and at HQ USAF were surveyed. This produced 17 criteria considered important in determining the mission essentiality of rail service at USAF bases. The results were further refined by formulating 'essentiality scores' and developing a dynamic decision model. This decision methodology should assist DOD planners in analyzing the impacts of lost rail service, thereby preventing poor rail essentiality decisions which could negatively affect our national defense capability. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1983
- Accession Number
- ADA135607
Entities
People
- Michael. A. Sparr
- Michael. S. Matern
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology