In recent years, the world has seen numerous natural disasters in which the U.S. military has played key roles in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR). A key component of HA/DR is to assure that relief is received through a timely and efficient logistics network. Sea basing is a vital aspect of U.S. military logistics abilities during relief efforts. The ability to launch and recover helicopters for humanitarian assistance from the sea, and the capacity to go virtually anywhere on land where aid is needed, is vital to the U.S. military. Our research team decided to draw on lessons learned from prior disasters to help identify the best combination of helicopters for supporting HA/DR missions, considering disaster requirements, aircraft and air platform availability and features, and critical maintenance considerations. We compared the relationship between Type Model Series (T/M/S) platforms' maintenance capability degradation and route selection using different priorities and timelines. Identifying the top 10 maintenance failures and communicating these through the chain of command and supply chain will minimize mission capability degradation and maximize aircraft availability. Establishing delivery routes that will maximize the number of sorties each aircraft can fly will help determine what percentage of overall demand we can meet. As the DoD budget continues to decrease, we need to find a more efficient way to maximize our resources and reduce our costs. The research team analyzed the impact of assigning aircraft by the lowest cost per flight hour in comparison to other available T/M/S platforms. The analysis also examined the cost effectiveness of using an Amphibious Readiness Group (ARG) versus a Carrier Strike Group (CSG) for HA/DR missions. Using the lessons learned from this project will help ensure that each HA/DR mission delivers the right supplies by the right T/M/S platforms for the right price.


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