A heuristic approach applied to the fleet sizing problem for military ground vehicles

Dave C Longhorn,John Dale Stobbs

doi:10.1108/jdal-03-2020-0005

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to propose two solution approaches to determine the number of ground transport vehicles that are required to ensure the on-time delivery of military equipment between origin and destination node pairs in some geographic region, which is an important logistics problem at the US Transportation Command. Design/methodology/approach The author uses a mathematical program and a traditional heuristic to provide optimal and near-optimal solutions, respectively. The author also compares the approaches for random, small-scale problems to assess the quality and computational efficiency of the heuristic solution, and also uses the heuristic to solve a notional, large-scale problem typical of real problems. Findings This work helps analysts identify how many ground transport vehicles are needed to meet cargo delivery requirements in any military theater of operation. Research limitations/implications This research assumes all problem data is deterministic, so it does not capture variations in requirements or transit times between nodes. Practical implications This work provides prescriptive details to military analysts and decision-makers in a timely manner. Prior to this work, insights for this type of problem were generated using time-consuming simulation taking about a week and often involving trial-and-error. Originality/value This research provides new methods to solve an important logistics problem. The heuristic presented in this paper was recently used to provide operational insights about ground vehicle requirements to support a geographic combatant command and to inform decisions for railcar recapitalization within the US Army.

Highlights

Military distribution within a geographic region involves the flow of equipment from origin to destination node pairs using ground transport vehicles, such as railcars and trucks
Performance metrics We introduce several outputs to assess the solution quality and speed of the heuristic compared to the integer program (IP)
Conclusions and future work Our traditional heuristic gives near-optimal solutions to small-scale vehicle fleet sizing problems in just a few seconds and, more importantly, provides solutions to large-scale problems that are indicative of operational problems encountered at the US Transportation Command in about 11 h

Summary

Introduction

Military distribution within a geographic region involves the flow of equipment from origin to destination node pairs using ground transport vehicles, such as railcars and trucks. In the Continental USA, the origins are usually military installations and the destinations are usually seaports or airports. Outside the Continental USA, the distribution flow is reversed with ports as the origins and tactical assembly areas as the destinations. The most important consideration for military distribution is time definite, or on-time, delivery of material at a location specified by the military commander (U.S Headquarters of the Army, 2014). Analysts at the US Transportation Command identify potential distribution constraints that would prevent the timely delivery of military equipment.

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