Marine air-ground task force distribution in the battlespace

Abstract

This thesis applies a systems thinking methodology to produce a proof of principle decision support dashboard that integrates relevant Marine air-ground task force (MAGTF) logistics systems to assist the tactical level commander to bettermanage ground and air transportation assets. For this thesis, the researchers define the MAGTF system in terms of three components: 1) organization design, 2) IT systems, and 3) feedback control. The researchers looked at the existing Log IT systems supporting the current MAGTF organization and assessed how well our application design can use and access existing logistics databases to improve logistics decision-making. The researchers discovered that effective application design depends on selecting the appropriate organizational level of war the application is designed to support: 1) strategic, 2) operational and 3) tactical. By developing a proof of principle application that accesses existing databases and applying a systems thinking methodology, the researchers demonstrate how information can be used to enhance the MAGTF commander's decision making for more efficient and effective employment of transportation assets in the battlespace. The potential benefit of this research is a proposed systemic structure with an associated web application that provides the MAGTF commander with critical information for supporting operations.