Optimization of the United States Coast Guard force structure

Abstract

The United States Coast Guard area and district commands are assigned platforms to accomplish required missions. As the nature and profile of the missions change over time, the platforms must be reallocated to better satisfy the new mission needs. The problem of reallocating existing platforms and, perhaps, acquiring new ones is referred to as the force structure problem. This problem is complex because of the multi-mission capability of the platforms, and the difficulty in quantifying projected mission requirements and platform suitability in meeting these requirements. In this thesis, methods for quantifying the mission requirements and platform suitability are proposed. Using these methods, a linear integer optimization model to allocate platforms is developed. Additionally, a FORTRAN based interface is implemented to facilitate the utilization of the model. Included in this interface are basic functions of a database system to aid the users in maintaining and updating model data. To demonstrate the use of the system, a realistic sample problem was extracted from Fiscal Year 1989 operational and administrative data. Outputs for the problem are given and analyzed..