Military Supply Chain Research Articles

Improving the Food Supply Chain in Military Units

Purpose: The aim of the research was to analyse and evaluate logistic processes implemented in the food supply chain in the military system in peace conditions and to propose possibilities for improving these processes. Design/Approach: The research was conducted using qualitative methods. As part of the research procedure, process analysis was carried out using the method of modelling logistics processes in the food supply chain implemented in a selected object of study (a military university from Poland). To analyse and evaluate the examined processes they have been presented in the form of graphical maps developed using the iGrafx software. Findings: The results of the study indicate that innovative solutions (technological and organisational) have a significant impact on the efficiency of the food supply chain. It is necessary to support logistic processes with traceability and RFID technology as well as adaptation to EU requirements in the field of short supply chains and building partnerships under civil-military cooperation. Practical Implications: The results can be used to improve the operation of the food supply chain for military units in peacetime by improving logistics processes using innovative methods of traceability to identify and track the flows of goods (food). Conducted analyses have significant practical implications for the design of new or modernising agility supply chains in military units in peacetime. Originality/Value: Due to the importance of these issues for the effective implementation of logistics processes in the military system, it is necessary to understand and promote the aspect of improving the food supply chain in a scientific and practical dimension. The specificity of the system of military supply chains, high level of rigidity and multi-faceted risk analysis limits the possibility of using common solutions on the civil market.

Performance Evaluation and Disruption Recovery for Military Supply Chain Network

The performance of military supply chain networks (MSCNs) against disruptions is an important consideration for defense logistics decision making, and it is crucial to evaluate it scientifically and accurately. This paper highlights the problem from the perspective of targeted defense strategies before being attacked and analyzes the acceptable recovery time against attacks. A topological structure model, with three exclusive features, in contrast with traditional networks, is used to describe the structure of military supply chain networks. In order to provide a platform for evaluating performance, a simulation method based on exploratory analysis is presented. Considering supply capability against disruptions and the acceptable recovery time for an MSCN after disruptions, evaluation metrics including supply capability and disruption recovery are proposed. By applying the model and algorithms to a POL supply network in a theater, we obtain the values of supply capability and disruption recovery against different disruptions. We also identify the key entities which can easily cause catastrophic failure to this network and which need to be protected against carefully. The results show that new evaluation metrics can capture important performance requirements for military supply chain networks. We also find that the proposed method in this paper can solve the problem of evaluating performance and analyzing disruption recovery in a feasible and effective manner.

Design of Munitions Visibility Management System

Munitions are one of the most critical and sensitive assets in the military supply chain, and its supply in the battlefield can greatly affect the result of the war. Historical data show that military forces are often provided either too much or too little ammunition because of the lack of visibility. This paper introduces the Munitions Visibility Management System that contains two parts, an organizational system and a technological system. The former one is from the administrative angle to standardize and control, and the latter one is from the technological angle to integrate and implement technologies needed. It gives a new way in studying the management of munitions.

Lamps from the foundation pits (fossae) of the principia in the Roman fortress of Novae (Bulgaria)

Material from two foundation pits associated with the first principia in the fortress at Novae (Švištov, Bulgaria), built shortly after the arrival of the Legio Prima Italica in AD 69, comprised waste left by the Legio Octava Augusta, its predecessor on site since AD 45. The finds provide essential information on the supply chain of lighting devices reaching the legionary camp before AD 71, when the pits were filled up. The high quality of the lamps sent to the legion, mainly exclusive imports from Italy and Asia Minor, but also from the Aegean world and South Pannonia, corroborates once again that the military supply chains in this period did not follow the easiest and shortest routes, and ignored much closer and already active lamp producing centers.

Lamps from the foundation pits (fossae) in the principia of the castrum of Novae

Oil lamps found in foundation pits excavated on the site of the first principia in the Roman fortress of Novae (ŠviŠtov, Bulgaria), built shortly after AD 69, are part of the waste discarded by a legion which manned the site for the previous quarter of a century, starting from AD 45. These lighting devices provide essential information on the supply chain of the legionary camp of Novae before 71, when the pits were ultimately filled. The assemblage illustrates the high quality of the materials sent to the legion, including exclusive imports mainly from Italy and Asia Minor, but also from the Aegean world and South Pannonia. It further underscores the fact that military supply chains in the 1st century AD did not follow the easiest and shorter routes and, as regards lamps, frequently ignored nuch closer and already active lamp-producing centers.

Performance-based contracting in military supply chains and the willingness to bear risks

Purpose Performance-based contracting (PBC) plays an increasingly important role in the defense industry. This paper aims to investigate factors that influence service provider’s willingness to accept PBC-induced risks. It also shows how these risks could be managed in a military service supply chain. Design/methodology/approach The case study focused on the relationship between a service provider and a customer that acted on behalf of other users in the defense sector. The contract involved the sustainment of a military engine in a complex supply chain. Findings The service provider’s performance attributability appeared to have a strong impact on its willingness to take PBC-induced risks. For the parts where the service provider did not have full control over the service performance, exclusions and Service Level Agreements (SLAs) were used to manage and mitigate the risks associated with uncontrolled performance. The service provider’s willingness to accept PBC-induced risks was also affected by its ability to make accurate forecasts, the applied growth path and the length of the contract. Research limitations/implications This case has specific characteristics, unique by time (maturity of the technical system and supply chain) and place (market). It is recommended that results are tested in other research settings. Practical implications Organizations should be aware of the factors that influence a service provider’s willingness to bear PBC-induced risks. Customers should limit PBC to those parts of a contract where risks are of an acceptable level. Also, it is recommended to follow a phased growth path when it is not possible to make accurate forecasts in a PBC context. Originality/value This study is the first to address critical issues concerning the identification and management of risks under PBC in the defense industry.

Hidden carbon costs of the “everywhere war”: Logistics, geopolitical ecology, and the carbon boot‐print of the US military

This paper examines the US military's impact on climate by analysing the geopolitical ecology of its global logistical supply chains. Our geopolitical ecology framework interrogates the material‐ecological metabolic flows (hydrocarbon‐based fuels, water, sand, concrete) that shape geopolitical and geoeconomic power relations. We argue that to account for the US military as a major climate actor, one must understand the logistical supply chain that makes its acquisition and consumption of hydrocarbon‐based fuels possible. Our paper focuses on the US Defense Logistics Agency – Energy (DLA‐E), a large yet virtually unresearched sub‐agency within the US Department of Defense. The DLA‐E is the primary purchase‐point for hydrocarbon‐based fuels for the US military, as well as a powerful actor in the global oil market. After outlining our geopolitical ecology approach, we detail the scope of the DLA‐E's operations, its supply chain, bureaucratic practices, and the physical infrastructure that facilitates the US military's consumption of hydro‐based carbons on a global scale. We show several “path dependencies” – warfighting paradigms, weapons systems, bureaucratic requirements, and waste – that are put in place by military supply chains and undergird a heavy reliance on carbon‐based fuels by the US military for years to come. The paper, based on comprehensive records of bulk fuel purchases we have gathered from DLA‐E through Freedom of Information Act requests, represents a partial yet robust picture of the geopolitical ecology of American imperialism.

Supplier selection and evaluation in military supply chain and Order allocation

The history of military activities known as logistics and supply chain goes back to the history of the wars. The military supply chain management (MSCM) involves coordinating production, inventory and transportation between the elements of a supply chain, to provide the best combination of response and efficiency for the base that feeds it. In fact, it must operate with mutual understanding of military issues such as strategy, tactics, military intelligence, training, human resources and financial support, because the military's focus is more on response to operational requirements. In this paper, a multi objective programming (MOP) model has proposed to determine the quality, quantity and the risk factors of the best suppliers in the military supply chain. The designed model solved by the MOPSO algorithm and the best answer determined after ranking the Pareto solution set from the TOPSIS. The results of the tests prove that this model has high efficiency.

Logistic approach to the formation of the procurement and distribution network of fruit in the region

The paper presents the role and importance of contemporary concepts in the management of military supply chains. On the basis of the analysis of the literature on the subject of research, the specifics of the military sector determining the use of the assumptions of modern management concepts were pointed out. The aim of the conducted research was to identify and evaluate the impact of selected concepts on the management of modern military supply chains, specific in many respects.

A Critical Study on RFID

Radio-Frequency Identification Device (RFID) uses radio waves to read and capture information stored on a tag, attached to an object. A tag can be read from several feet away and does not need to be within the direct line-of-sight of the reader to be tracked. A RFID system is made up of two parts: a tag or label and a reader. RFID tags are embedded with a transmitter and a receiver. It can automatically identify a person, a package or an item. Barcodes are really simple and can be easily replicated or counterfeited where as RFID is effective, cheap and secure. So RFID technology has many applications in military zone, inventory management, supply chain, product tracking, transportation, and logistics.

Performance Measurement of Military Supply Chains

Defence is the largest item of physical expenditure in the Union budget presented by the Government of India every year. A substantial portion of the budget is allocated for equipping the army, a task which is performed by a very complex and extended supply chain. Therefore, it is essential that the performance of the military’s supply chain is measured and monitored, so that the nation derives value from the expenditure made on the supply chain. Moreover, the effectiveness of the supply chain provides the defence forces competitive advantage, and thus its performance has a direct bearing on the country’s security. The wars in future are more likely to be a competition between the rival supply chains. Development of a suitable framework for measuring the performance of any extended supply chain is a challenging task. The challenge arises from the very design and nature of the supply chain construct. The entities which constitute the supply chain invariably have varied goals and objectives, and therefore more than often, they indulge in adversarial practices and operate in an environment of mutual distrust. The paper dwells upon the conceptual development of an ideal performance measurement framework for the military supply chain. It compares the military and commercial supply chains, and discusses some of the principal performance measurement frameworks, like the Balanced scorecard, Supply Chain Operations Reference model amongst others used by the commercial supply chains. It also discusses the endeavours made towards supply chain performance evaluation by some of the modern militaries to include that of the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. It also briefly covers the Indian approach to evaluation of supply chain performance. The paper brings out the relevance of the subject, challenges there in, and its importance to the country’s armed forces.

The Incentive Mechanism Coordination Model of the Military Enterprises-Led Supply Chain

Because of the inconsistent objectives of decision-makers and asymmetric information, the efforts and enthusiasm of the military supply chain members will not only affect their own benefits, but also produce adverse selection and moral hazard problems, and even affect the supply chain stable operation. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a reasonable and effective coordination rules and procedures, namely the incentive mechanism, in order to achieve the goal of supply chain system to meet the needs of military users. To stimulate the motivation and enthusiasm of each the supply chain member, and the military supply chain overall revenue also achieve the maximization, The paper applies the incentive mechanism design & game theory, designs a transfer payment incentive mechanism model between the supply chain channel members according to the order quantity size, tries to change the expected profit objective function of the incented object, makes them to choose the optimal effort level coincided with the military supply chain total expected revenue, establishes a long-term cooperative partnership each other based on mutual trust and information sharing, gives full play to their respective advantages, achieves the supply chain collaboration efficiency improved purpose, and ultimately realizes the goal to improve the military logistic support capability. This study method mainly refers to the use of certain means to regulate economic interests to stimulate and restrain the decision-making behavior of military enterprises and warehouses, enhance and mobilize their motivation and enthusiasm. The study conclusion has important reference value to improve the coordination level of army and local and the military logistic support effectiveness.

Parallel military supply chain for resilience

The military supply chain (MSC) plays a crucial role in warfare – for the best chances for survival, it must be resilient. The current Republic of Korea (R.O.K.) military supply system is the “Subs...

Modeling and Simulation for Effectiveness Evaluation of Dynamic Discrete Military Supply Chain Networks

The effectiveness of military supply chain networks is an important reference for logistics decision-making, and it is crucial to evaluate it scientifically and accurately. This paper highlights the problem from the perspective of dynamic and discrete networks. A topological structure model with the characteristics of dynamic and discreteness is used to describe the structure of military supply chain networks (MSCNs). In order to provide a platform for evaluating the effectiveness, simulation algorithms based on topological structure models for MSCNs are presented. Considering military and economic factors, evaluation metrics including supply capability and supply efficiency are proposed. By applying the model and algorithms to a POL supply network in a theater, we obtain the values of supply capability and efficiency metrics in a dynamic environment. We also identify an optimal solution from multiple feasible solutions to help decision-makers to make scientific and rational decisions by using exploratory analysis method. The results show that new evaluation metrics can capture important effectiveness requirements for military supply networks positively. We also find the proposed method in this paper can solve the problem of evaluating the effectiveness of dynamic and discrete network effectiveness evaluation in a feasible and effective manner.

The role of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in the formation of a secure military supply chain

<i>The research problem described in the paper originates from the lack of adequate force protection of tactical level logistic units supporting forces in battle. The author tries to prove the necessity of the application of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in order to ensure security of tactical level supply chains. The new technologies may be an innovative and perspective solution for the problem of the absence of force protection structures in logistic units. The author considers the use of UAVs for observation, reconnaissance and active force protection of logistic points and logistic units supporting tactical level forces. The problem is to choose the correct UAV type and to organise the unmanned autonomous systems (UAS) defined as electromechanical systems with no human operator on board, capable of performing operations in airspace.</i>

Integrated demand-responsive scheduling of maintenance and transportation operations in military supply chains

The management of a military supply chain (SC) involves the integration of production, packaging, warehousing, repair, maintenance and transportation of army supplies. In this paper, we focus on the integrated demand-responsive scheduling of maintenance and transportation operations within the SC. We consider a modular representation of a SC, in which the maintenance and transportation operations constitute the corresponding modules. An efficient integration of these operations is carried out by an additional controlling (commanding) module. We describe and analyse the optimisation problems arising in each module. The main contribution of the paper is that the analysis and optimisation of the controlling module permit to enhance the performance of the entire SC. Computational experiments prove the validity and effectiveness of the suggested models.

Field Sterilization in the Austere and Operational Environment A Literature Review of Recommendations

Special Operations Forces medical providers are often deployed far beyond traditional military supply chains, forcing them to rely on alternative methods for field sterilization of medical equipment. This literature review proposes several alternative methods for both sterilization and disinfection of medical instruments after use and cleaning of skin and wounds before procedures. This article reviews recommendations from sources like the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the Special Operations Forces Medical Handbook, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Modeling and mitigating the effects of supply chain disruption in a defender–attacker game

The outcomes of a defender–attacker game depend on the defender’s resources delivered through military supply chains. These are subject to disruptions from various sources, such as natural disasters, social disasters, and terrorism. The attacker and defender are at war; the defender needs resources to defeat the attacker, but those resources may not be available due to a supply chain disruption that occurs exogenously to the game. In this paper, we integrate a defender–attacker game with supply chain risk management, and study the defender’s optimal preparation strategy. We provide analytical solutions, conduct numerical analysis, and compare the combined strategy with other protection strategies. Our results indicate that: (a) the defender benefits in a defender–attacker game by utilizing supply chain risk management tools; and (b) the attacker’s best response resource allocation would not be deterred by capacity backup protection and/or inventory protection. The feature of this paper is that the defender, being the downstream user of the supply chain, is involved in a strategic contest against the attacker. This model is different than game theory applied to private-sector supply chains because most game theoretic models of private sector supply chains usually explore relationships between suppliers and firms in the same supply chain or between multiple firms competing in the marketplace for customers. Therefore, supply chain risk management for such a military application imposes effects that have not been studied before.

Determinants of the Military Supply Chain Resilience

Determinants of the Military Supply Chain Resilience

Determinants of the Military Supply Chain Resilience

Determinants of the Military Supply Chain Resilience