Abstract
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate US noncombatant evacuation operations (NEO) in South Korea and devise planning and management procedures that improve the efficiency of those missions. Design/methodology/approach It formulates a time-staged network model of the South Korean noncombatant evacuation system as a mixed integer linear program to determine an optimal flow configuration that minimizes the time required to complete an evacuation. This solution considers the capacity and resource constraints of multiple transportation modes and effectively allocates the limited assets across a time-staged network to create a feasible evacuation plan. That solution is post-processed and a vehicle routing procedure then produces a high resolution schedule for each individual asset throughout the entire duration of the NEO. Findings This work makes a clear improvement in the decision-making and resource allocation methodology currently used in a NEO on the Korea peninsula. It immediately provides previously unidentifiable information regarding the scope and requirements of a particular evacuation scenario and then produces an executable schedule for assets to facilitate mission accomplishment. Originality/value The significance of this work is not relegated only to evacuation operations on the Korean peninsula; there are numerous other NEO and natural disaster related scenarios that can benefit from this approach.
Highlights
IntroductionThe manner in which noncombatant evacuation operations (NEO) are conducted can have far-reaching positive or negative effects across diplomatic, humanitarian, military and economic realms, and they require deliberate and thoughtful planning to execute well (Junkins, 2012)
1.1 Noncombatant evacuation operations definition and historical context Noncombatant Evacuation Operations (NEOs) are operations in which US citizens, Department of Defense (DoD) civilians and pre-designated host nation (HN) or third-country nationals (TCN) are transported from within a foreign nation to a separate safe haven (Joint Doctrine Group, 2010, JP 3–68)
This mission was successful in that it evacuated a large number of people, but the uncoordinated efforts of US military aircraft, Vietnamese Air Force and US Government (USG) supported fixed-wing assets resulted in a substantial loss of resources
Summary
The manner in which NEOs are conducted can have far-reaching positive or negative effects across diplomatic, humanitarian, military and economic realms, and they require deliberate and thoughtful planning to execute well (Junkins, 2012) These missions are the responsibility of the DOS to order and coordinate, but it is the responsibility of military forces – Geographic Combatant Commands (GCC) – “to prepare and maintain plans for the protection and evacuation of US noncombatants abroad for whom the DoD is responsible” (Joint Doctrine Group, 2010, JP 3– 68). Due to a lack of fuel and deck space aboard the US Navy ships, many aircraft were landed at sea or pushed overboard to make room for additional arriving aircraft The US Navy’s 6th Fleet inserted a company of Marines into the US Embassy and adjacent housing compound to provide establish security and subsequently evacuate approximately 900 personnel out to ships located in the Adriatic Sea (Germain, 1997)
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