Assessing the Robustness and Resilience of U.S. Strategic Highways: A Network Science Perspective

TL;DR

This paper applies network science and GIS to evaluate the robustness and resilience of the U.S. Strategic Highway Network, revealing its strengths against targeted attacks and vulnerabilities to random disruptions, crucial for military logistics planning.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method combining network science and GIS to assess transportation network resilience, specifically tailored for military logistics networks like STRAHNET.

Findings

STRAHNET is robust against targeted disruptions.

STRAHNET is more resilient to random disruptions.

The method aids in infrastructure planning and vulnerability assessment.

Abstract

Network science is a powerful tool for analyzing transportation networks, offering insights into their structures and enabling the quantification of resilience and robustness. Understanding the underlying structures of transportation networks is crucial for effective infrastructure planning and maintenance. In military contexts, network science is valuable for analyzing logistics networks, critical for the movement and supply of troops and equipment. The U.S. Army's logistical success, particularly in the "fort-to-port" phase, relies heavily on the Strategic Highway Network (STRAHNET) in the U.S., which is a system of public highways crucial for military deployments. However, the shared nature of these networks with civilian users introduces unique challenges, including vulnerabilities to cyberattacks and physical sabotage, which is highlighted by the concept of contested logistics. This paper proposes a method using network science and geographic information systems (GIS) to assess the robustness and resilience of transportation networks, specifically applied to military logistics. Our findings indicate that while the STRAHNET is robust against targeted disruptions, it is more resilient to random disruptions.