Abstract The U.S. Navy has declared humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) operations as a core mission in support of the U.S. national security strategy. However little work has been done to illustrate which vessels are typically deployed for such operations or the costs of these deployments which, as contingencies, are not part of the regular defense budget. In this work we summarize some of the work that has been done in the area of cost analysis for U.S. Navy HADR operations and conclude with implications for policy makers.
Presented at Western Decision Sciences Institute (WDSI 2017) conference April 4-8, 2017 ; Continuous process improvement has been widely taught in business schools and has yielded real results and success in both for-profit and non-profit sectors. Though there have been many cases developed for use in business schools, few, if any, situate the topic in a military context. Further, expeditionary logistics presents managers with special problems of being removed from their supporting enterprise systems that process, track, and/or control of such logistical elements as purchase orders, inventory, distribution, receivables, and fulfillment. We present a case in a military setting that exposes students to the challenges of expeditionary logistics and takes them through the fundamentals of process analysis and process improvement.
Presented at Western Decision Sciences Institute (WDSI 2015) conference March 31- April 3, 2015 ; The U.S. Department of Defense has stated that the conduct of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) missions are critical to U.S. national security interests. However, because records are not carefully archived, there is little known about the actual costs and cost drivers of HADR operations which are contingencies for which there are no Joint Staff scenarios to program capabilities against nor are there budgets to do so. This research will examine the financial expenditures of the USN in response to a set of disasters (2004 Tsunami in Sumatra, the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, and the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and subsequent tsunami). Through the examination of these complex events, and an analysis of the existing literature on HADR finance, we will provide operational and financial policy recommendations to senior leaders and policy makers regarding those decisions that are most likely to trigger the most significant costs.
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide an introduction to the special issue on defence logistics. To achieve this, an overview of the field of defence logistics is offered together with a discussion of the historical and contemporary issues that have confronted researchers and practitioners. Current research is described, and a research agenda for future work in the field is proposed.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based upon a conceptual discussion of defence logistics as it has been studied in the past and is being studied in the present, and a reflection on the ways in which past research can usefully inform future research agendas.FindingsThe paper discusses the current state of defence logistics research, and proposes a research agenda for future work based upon the anticipated characteristics of future combat operations.Research limitations/implicationsA future research agenda is proposed that is informed by recent transformations in the conduct of warfare, as well as through anticipated changes in the global strategic landscape. Comparisons are made between defence logistics operations and their commercial counterparts to illustrate where there may be opportunities for adaptation based on the underlying similarities.Originality/valueThis paper discusses the major threads and themes of defence logistics research as a discipline, highlights the changing landscape of conflict in the 21st century and provides a future research agenda for those working in the field.
PurposeWhen deploying a frigate to the Gulf of Aden as a part of the Operation Atalanta, the Norwegian Defence outsourced logistics to a TPL provider. The purpose of this paper is to explore the cooperation between the Defence and the TPL provider during the operation.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative design was chosen. Semi‐structured interviews were combined with relevant secondary sources. A theoretical framework formed the basis for the interviews.FindingsNo long‐term history existed between the parties before the cooperation, and no psychological contracts between individuals at tactical levels were made beforehand. Yet the cooperation was a success. It seems that this to a large degree depended on the individuals assigned to the project.Research limitations/implicationsThe research highlights the need to address not only how to design physical supply structures but also how to ensure adequate levels of collaborative competence within civil‐military project groups. Further research is needed to investigate how to embed key suppliers in Defence logistics structures and how supply chains for short‐term, limited deployments impact on logistics arrangements for the permanent structure of the Defence.Practical implicationsThis research gives the Norwegian Defence valuable knowledge about how to collaborate with commercial logistics providers.Originality/valueThis research highlights challenges when embedding suppliers into military supply chains. This is of importance not just when supplying deployed forces but also when considering supplier integration, e.g. through PPP and PBL.
PurposeThis paper aims to develop a "line of sight" between improved military capability through supply network effectiveness to trust and shared values, and test the proposition that the effectiveness of the UK's military supply network (SN) will reflect the extent of the shared values within that network.Design/methodology/approachUsing a three unit case study, the extent of the shared values is tested using a computer aided text analysis technique and an amended version of the Kuhn and McPartland Twenty Statements Test.FindingsThe research was unable to demonstrate alignment between higher levels of shared values and SN effectiveness. This may reflect the marked differences between commercial SNs which incorporate an assumption of near total elasticity of supply and aim at "on time in full" delivery, and their military counterparts which, not least for budgetary constraint reasons, do not have the same drivers of performance.Research limitations/implicationsFurther investigation should be undertaken to examine the generalisability of the research findings both within the UK and internationally.Practical implicationsThe research underlines the caution that should be exercised when attempting to migrate commercial SN management thinking to a military environment.Originality/valueNotwithstanding the vast sums expended on the provision of defence logistics, there is only very limited consideration of how best to achieve the appropriate balance between efficiency (low cost – especially in peacetime) and effectiveness (life saving – especially in war). This research offers some early insights using two novel techniques that represent valuable alternative means of understanding the impact of issues such as trust and shared values within SNs.
The article of record as published may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJPDLM-03-2012-0079 ; Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to provide an introduction to the special issue on defence logistics. To achieve this, an overview of the field of defence logistics is offered together with a discussion of the historical and contemporary issues that have confronted researchers and practitioners. Current research is described, and a research agenda for future work in the field is proposed. Design/methodology/approach - The paper is based upon a conceptual discussion of defence logistics as it has been studied in the past and is being studied in the present, and a reflection on the ways in which past research can usefully inform future research agendas. Findings – The paper discusses the current state of defence logistics research, and proposes a research agenda for future work based upon the anticipated characteristics of future combat operations. Research limitations/implications - A future research agenda is proposed that is informed by recent transformations in the conduct of warfare, as well as through anticipated changes in the global strategic landscape. Comparisons are made between defence logistics operations and their commercial counterparts to illustrate where there may be opportunities for adaptation based on the underlying similarities. Originality/value - This paper discusses the major threads and themes of defence logistics research as a discipline, highlights the changing landscape of conflict in the 21st century and provides a future research agenda for those working in the field.
The article of record as published may be located at http://dx.doi.org/10.5038/1944-0472.7.2.1 ; Globalization's "interconnecting" effects have blended with an ethos of instability to create an extraordinarily complex global security environment. Though the number of armed conflicts worldwide has declined since the early 1990s, the character of those conflicts has evolved in some troubling ways. Conventional inter-state wars are less common, but they have been displaced by a proliferation of smaller scale, asymmetric, diffuse and episodic struggles: What Trinquier calls "subversive warfare or revolutionary warfare." The participants in these conflicts are not limited to national military forces, but include a range of non-state actors, including militias, ethnic groups, illicit transnational networks, informal paramilitary organizations, and violent extremists. Many of today's most vexing global threats, including those that affect the United States' national security interests, emanate from terrorist networks, transnational criminal organizations, rogue states, and the intersection of activities and shared objectives among malicious actors operating from frontiers or "ungoverned spaces." Special Operations Forces (SOF) have had an essential, but evolving, role in countering those threats. The articles assembled in this issue of Journal of Strategic Security examine SOF's role in the global, joint force of the future. Through a military-academic partnership between U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and the University of South Florida, five papers have been selected for the purpose of further developing dialogue on issues related to SOF's pivot toward partnership-driven, indirect action. Some common themes emerge in these works: a view that future security rests in partnerships, and an acknowledgement that the threats, constraints, and realities of the current strategic environment demand applications of "smart power" to assure collective security.
The article of record as published may be found at https://doi.org/10.1108/JHLSCM-04-2015-0020 ; Purpose –Both the military and non-military organizations (NMO) bring assets, skills, and capabilities to a humanitarian crisis, however, their capabilities and competencies are very diverse. Identification of the specific competencies and capabilities that are core to these types of organizations can enable better planning by both military and NMOs, allowing them to achieve greater effectiveness and efficiency in the humanitarian response. The purpose of this paper is to explore the core capabilities of the military and NMOs engaged in humanitarian operations. Design/methodology/approach – The work builds on existing literature on the core competency of the corporation. The authors extend the concept of the ability to identify, cultivate, and exploit the core capabilities in the private sector to the organizations that want to respond efficiently and effectively to disasters. The authors develop a core competencies test for such organizations. Findings – The research identifies the competencies and capabilities that are core to the US military and NMOs for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. By identifying such abilities the authors establish a vein of research for exploring the role of such organizations to facilitate greater understanding among academics, policy makers, and decision makers in public administration, public health, and international aid. Originality/value – Existing literature in humanitarian logistics does not adequately address identification of those competencies and capabilities that are core to the military organizations and NMOs and are most needed during the operational life cycle of a humanitarian crisis. In addition to identifying them, the authors compare the core capabilities of the military and NMO.
Concerned with rising Department of Defense (DoD) costs, the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) directed the military medical logistics community to explore opportunities to gain efficiency without sacrificing capability. Since RAND had researched military medical logistics efficiencies in a prior study,1 the military services and Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) asked RAND to identify efficiencies in the global military medical logistics enterprise. We designed a study that would investigate such logistics efficiencies in purchasing power and information technology; based on our prior research, we included warehousing and distribution in the study as opportunities for efficiency. Because DoD has adopted the commercial Prime Vendor (PV) model for sourcing and distributing medical materiel to medical treatment facilities (MTFs) inside the United States in a system that is understood to be quite efficient, we focused on supply of medical materiel to military organizations outside the continental United States (OCONUS). The military maintains a significant role in supplying such materiel to these organizations and at significant cost. ; U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command ; DLA Headquarters J35 ; RAND Arroyo Center's Military Logistics Program ; U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command ; DLA Headquarters J35 ; RAND Arroyo Center's Military Logistics Program ; United States Army ; United States Army under Contract No. W74V8H-06-C-0001.
PurposeThe purpose of this research is to analyse military logistics providing a decision support instrument for contracting in defence supply chains.Design/methodology/approachThis instrument – the Performance‐Based Logistics (PBL) portfolio – is developed following the contingency approach. Qualitative interviews and illustrative examples from Germany, Austria and Switzerland are used to validate the portfolio.FindingsThe proposed portfolio examines a military demand in respect of its required effectiveness (robustness and resilience), and the suppliers' ability to influence efficiency (forecast and supply risk). In combination, the contingencies are used to recommend three alternative types of PBL contracting.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper is based on conceptual work with illustrative case examples. Therefore, although the authors believe that the PBL portfolio provides useful guidance for further research, the empirical applicability of this instrument must be proven.Originality/valueThe research on PBL is gaining importance, but still there remains a deficiency of theoretical grounding and management instruments. This study is a first approach to use the contingency framework for developing such an instrument. The value of the PBL portfolio lies in supporting normative decision making for contracting military supply.
