Network Topology and Time Criticality Effects in the Modularised Fleet Mix Problem

TL;DR

This study investigates how network topology and time sensitivity influence military logistics, demonstrating that modular vehicle fleets can offer operational advantages in supply and re-supply scenarios through simulation and meta-heuristic optimization.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the impact of modular vehicle configurations on logistics efficiency using a simulation environment and evolutionary algorithms.

Findings

Modular vehicles can improve supply chain flexibility.

Network topology affects fleet performance under time-critical conditions.

Simulation results highlight conditions favoring modular fleet deployment.

Abstract

In this paper, we explore the interplay between network topology and time criticality in a military logistics system. A general goal of this work (and previous work) is to evaluate land transportation requirements or, more specifically, how to design appropriate fleets of military general service vehicles that are tasked with the supply and re-supply of military units dispersed in an area of operation. The particular focus of this paper is to gain a better understanding of how the logistics environment changes when current Army vehicles with fixed transport characteristics are replaced by a new generation of modularised vehicles that can be configured task-specifically. The experimental work is conducted within a well developed strategic planning simulation environment which includes a scenario generation engine for automatically sampling supply and re-supply missions and a multi-objective meta-heuristic search algorithm (i.e. Evolutionary Algorithm) for solving the particular scheduling and routing problems. The results presented in this paper allow for a better understanding of how (and under what conditions) a modularised vehicle fleet can provide advantages over the currently implemented system.