Continued Development of Logistics Simulation System and Application to Personnel and Equipment Attrition in the Logistics Combat Element (LCE) in support of a MEB

Abstract

Project Summary: The focus of this work is the continued development of a software system for the modeling and simulation of the flow of supplies through a combat logistics network, and the use of this simulation to predict adequacy of the network to meet sustainment requirements on rate of delivery of supplies to ground combat elements. The software will be used to both design the logistics network and to assess the effect of equipment and personnel random attrition rates during the course of the operation. The software simulates the flow of these supplies through the network versus time, and predicts the levels of supplies at all nodes. During the course of the operation, the ability of the network to meet the sustainment requirements on supplies can be jeopardized by the loss of availability (attrition) of both personnel and equipment. This loss of availability can be due to both planned (e.g. routine maintenance) and unplanned (unplanned maintenance and combat-related random events). The logistics simulation will be used to predict the robustness of the logistics network in its ability to meet sustainment requirements with the loss of availability of equipment and personnel. The simulation code is object-oriented, and written in the MATLAB language. The class structure of the code is developed to efficiently represent cargo flow through the network and incorporates stochastic elements which represent the random loss of availability of trucks due to unplanned maintenance.