Investigating the naval logistics role in humanitarian assistance activities

Abstract

According to Department of Defense (DOD) Instruction 2205.02 (June 23, 2014), DOD components must conduct humanitarian and civic assistance (HCA) activities in response to regional conflicts or natural disasters. The Under Secretary of Defense for Policy determines how HCA policy is coordinated and implemented within the DOD and delegates responsibility to the regional combatant commands. In past modeling efforts for disaster relief, stochastic optimization has been utilized and produced promising results; however, the deterministic nature of optimization models may not fully capture the uncertainty that is inherent in natural disasters and the demand created by them. In order to better understand the effects of the uncertainty surrounding natural disasters and realize a robust logistical response to these events, new approaches are necessary. This thesis develops an asset allocation optimization model for naval logistics, and then uses experimental design techniques to systematically explore solutions to the model. Our analysis reveals the importance of robust planning for natural disaster response to ensure that demand is met and a quick response is possible. Finally, we explore the use of unmanned aerial vehicles as logistics assets, and show that they have the potential to add much benefit to foreign humanitarian assistance.