Supply positioning in support of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations

Abstract

The U.S. military possesses many capabilities that are used throughout the range of military operations (ROMO) in order to carry out planned and contingency response missions. These capabilities can bring destruction to an adversary or can provide critical aid in a humanitarian assistance or disaster response (HA/DR) operation. In many situations, prepositioning supplies and equipment is essential to the Defense (DoD) in a rapid response that is efficient and effective. Such readiness translates to the pre-establishment of adequate inventory capacities and resources that enable efficient relief operations. In this study, we identify current prepositioned DoD inventory locations and establish a framework for DoD decision-makers to use in developing the most appropriate logistics strategy for different natural disasters that may occur around the globe.