Optimizing Transportation of Disaster Relief Material to Support U.S. Pacific Command Foreign Humanitarian Assistance Operations
Abstract
In the wake of a global natural disaster, the U.S. Military often plays a significant logistical role at the request of the Department of State regarding overall relief efforts. Its primary purposes in these support missions are to safeguard lives, alleviate human suffering, and mitigate property damage. Our military has robust capabilities in transportation and security, and readily available stockpiles of life-saving humanitarian assistance and disaster relief material. Disaster relief operations are time-critical because delays in the delivery of aid can cause increased suffering and perhaps death. This thesis optimizes the transportation of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief material to the affected state within the U.S. Pacific Command Area of Responsibility. Optimization of this transportation network results in significant reductions of planning times, development and analysis of several alternative courses of action, and savings in delivery times and/or costs. A cost versus time analysis of various alternatives provides decision makers with more flexibility than they previously had.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2013
- Accession Number
- ADA579765
Entities
People
- Phillip Mogilevsky
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School