A Review of Strategic Mobility Models and Analysis

Because strategic mobility issues are complex, analysts must be supported by large computer models, which are used to evaluate some aspect of transporting combat and support forces from the United States to a combat theater and sustaining them there. Currently, however, organizations often have difficulty understanding the models and using them to support their analysis objectives. This study was designed to assist the Logistics Directorate of the Joint Staff to understand and improve the capabilities of the major computerized models and databases used for analyzing strategic mobility questions, evaluate the attributes and limitations of the major existing models, and determine whether another computer model would serve the directorate's needs better than the current model. The study concentrated on resource planning, which is typically long-range force planning and programming. The analysis indicates that the strategic mobility models examined — MIDAS, RAPIDSIM, TFE, FLOGEN, and SEACOP — share the following shortcomings: they all work in one direction only; they have limited credibility outside the organizations that use them; they do not sufficiently recognize uncertainty; they have narrow, rigid objective functions; and their output measures do not adequately serve analysts' needs.