Applications of simulation in logistics combat developments

Abstract

As the Army undergoes a transformation from the logistics intensive organizations that currently comprise the force to a more agile and sustainable force, changes in logistics concepts and organizations are inevitable. Because much of the Army's future equipment and most future organizations are still in the conceptual stages, these elements must be modeled. Simulation provides a valuable tool for not only modeling the structure or attributes of a future system, but also for comparing alternative concepts for how systems should be employed and equipped. In this paper, we present three applications of how simulation was used within the U.S. Army Combined Arms Support Command in the design and analysis of current and emerging logistical systems in the Army.