Metrics for the Naval Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Operations

Humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) operations are part of the Cooperative Strategy for the 21st Century Seapower of the United States (U.S.). In this research, we further investigate, through literature survey, whether any metrics can be defined and developed to enhance the efficacy and efficiency of HADR operations. Such measurement will be instrumental in successfully following a fundamental principle: ﾓIf we are going to do HADR anyway, then why not do it smartly.ﾔ In the past 2-3 decades, the United States Navy (USN) has been the active and principal supplier of disaster relief due to its many unique and critical capabilities (Apte, Yoho, Greenfield, & Ingram, 2013; Apte, Goncalves, & Yoho, 2016). Whether this effort will continue and be sustained in an environment of fiscal austerity and budget cuts is not given. Therefore, it is critical to identify resources the USN possesses, due to its core competencies and capabilities, that support humanitarian logistics, and to understand the USNﾒs readiness level to utilize these resources in the best possible way. The United States Marine Corps (USMC) can rapidly respond to disasters because it maintains high levels of readiness on a constant basis. The USMC provides critical resources for these missions through their Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs), which are flexible and adaptable enough to accomplish a wide range of operations, including non-combat missions (Apte & Yoho, 2014). Given the recent frequency of disasters around the world, it is probable that the occurrence of these events will continue, thus creating a demand for the relief capabilities. The MEUs have flexible and adept forces that can be deployed to austere environments while meeting urgent timelines (USMC, 2009).Naval Postgraduate School Acquisition Research Progra

Understanding readiness metrics for the humanitarian operations through literature review

The article of record as published may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JHLSCM-08-2018-0059Purpose – The purpose of this research is to understand whether an organization knows if it is ready to respond to a disaster and whether it has the capabilities to deliver relief. Our initial motivation was to identify unique resources possessed by the United States Navy (USN) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) due to their unique and critical capabilities for humanitarian operations. The recent frequency of disasters around the world suggests these events will continue to create demand for relief capabilities. For this reason we need to understand readiness metrics not just for USN and USMC but for humanitarian organizations (Hos) in general. Design/methodology/approach – We survey relevant literature for understanding how HOs define and develop readiness metrics and associated factors. We studied documents including peer-reviewed scholarly articles, government documents, white papers, research papers and Department of Defense (DoD) briefings. We study literature that is significantly written for DoD, one, the vast experience of USN and USMC and two, the lessons learned have been documented. The literature offers substantial information on what readiness means and why it is important. This documented information is critical because it is known to the researchers in humanitarian operations that data is hard to come by. Findings –The framework for readiness proposed at the end of this article is context the emergency responder probably uses in an informal fashion. The validation of readiness framework, we find exists in the supporting literature we review. Originality/value – The understanding of readiness metrics for humanitarian operations for the organizations we study may offer insight into other HOs. The insights we gain may not be pivotal or counterintuitive to the conclusions based on commonsense. However, they are supported by the literature review. We formalize the concept based on conclusions of a set of diverse set of researchers and practitioners such as academic scholars, DoD personnel and government officials involved in humanitarian missions, USAID representatives that are repeatedly tasked for being ready, military and government officers from host and foreign countries and many more.Acquisition Research Program at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS)NPS Foundatio

Contracting for Services in the U.S. Army: An Empirical Study of Current Management Practices

An analysis of the implications of different deficiencies of services acquisitions in the U.S. Army, as well as the effectiveness of current contract management processes and recommendations for improvement.This article presents the results of our empirical study of current management practices in services acquisition in the U.S. Army. In this study, we developed and used a web-based survey to collect primary data on the acquisition strategy, procurement methods, and contract types used at army installations. Specifically, we studied the current management practices in such areas as life cycle approach, project management, organization/management structure, and training provided to services acquisition personnel

United States Navy Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Costs: A Preliminary Study

Naval Postgraduate School Acquisition Research Progra

Managing the Service Supply Chain in the Department of Defense: An Empirical Study of Current Management Practices

Sponsored Report (for Acquisition Research Program)This paper presents the results of our ongoing research on the management of services acquisition in the Department of Defense. In this empirical study we developed and used a web-based survey to collect data on the acquisition strategy, procurement methods, and contract types used at Air Force and Navy installations. Specifically, we studied the current management practices in such areas as life cycle approach, project management, organization/management structure, and training provided to services acquisition personnel. We find that the majority of the services contracts awarded and administered conformed to our expectation. For example, most service contracts are competitively bid, fixed-priced awards without any type of contract incentive. However, we found that the Air Force and Navy use different contracting approaches''specifically in the areas of organizational level of acquisition offices (regional versus installation), the use of project teams, leaders of the acquisition effort (program personnel versus contracting officers), and managers of the services requirement (program personnel, contracting officers, and customer organizations). We analyzed the implications and impact of different approaches on the effectiveness of the contract management process and make recommendations on improving the management of services acquisition in the Department of Defense.Naval Postgraduate School Acquisition Research ProgramApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Humanitarian Logistics: A New Field of Research and Action

The article of record as published may be located at http://dx.doi.org/10.1561/0200000014Recent natural disasters such as the earthquake in Hati, Hurricane Katrina in the United States, tsunami in the Indian Ocean, the earthquake in Pakistan, and numerous humanitarian challenges arising from such conflicts as that in Sudan have exposed the shortcomings in planning for disasters. In addition to the natural disasters, the homeland security issues related to domestic as well as international terrorism have increased the fear factor and have made 'readiness' the principal priority. Humanitarian logistics is a critical element of an effective disaster relief process. The objective of this monograph is to discuss research issues and potential actions surrounding the new field of humanitarian logistics. We define humanitarian logistics as that special branch of logistics which manages response supply chain of critical supplies and services with challenges such as demand surges, uncertain supplies, critical time windows in face of infrastructure vulnerabilities and vast scope and size of operations. We survey case studies to learn from the past experience and review analytical models from the literature to understand the state-of-the-art in humanitarian logistics. We recommend further research in the fields of operations management and operations research to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of humanitarian logistics. We conclude that through humanitarian logistics is inherently chaotic and complex, and it is difficult to do research in this area, the complexity and obstacles can be dealt with by the researchers

Spiral development

Second Annual Acquisition Research SymposiumMany view the Department of Defense's acquisition process as ripe for repair. Shortcomings of predominantly used acquisition approaches, such as the Block approach or Pre-planned Product Improvement (P3I) to fulfill system requirements, have led to a new approach in Evolutionary Acquisition strategy: a process called spiral development. This research study focuses on the process, promise, and limitations of spiral development. This study is centered on the key issues that distinguish a spiral approach from the traditional approaches implemented by the DoD. This study describes the fundamentals of the process of spiral acquisition: increments, characteristics of the increments, and the capabilities they deliver using a simple model. The interest of this research is in understanding the concept of spiral acquisition as it applies, specifically, to Program Managers. In conclusion, the analysis so far suggests two key issues: the necessity for a template or a set of rules that will aid Program Managers in understanding and implementing the concept of spiral development, and the role of modularity in spiral development. This research.;The following article is taken as an excerpt from the proceedings of the annual Acquisition Research Program. This annual event showcases the research projects funded through the Acquisition Research Program at the Graduate School of Business and Public Policy at the Naval Postgraduate School. Featuring keynote speakers, plenary panels, mulitiple panel sessions, a student research poster show and social events, the Annual Acquisition Research Symposium offers a candid environment where high-ranking Department of Defense (DoD) officials, industry officials, accomplished faculty and military students are encouraged to collaborate on finding applicable solutions to the challenges facing acquisition policies and processes within the DoD today. By jointly and publicly questioning the norms of industry and academia, the resulting research benefits from myriad perspectives and collaborations which can indentify better solutions and practices in acquisition, contract, financial, logistics and program management. For further information regarding the Acquisition Research Program, electronic copies of additional research, or to learn more about becoming a sponsor, please visit our program website at: www.acquisitionresearch.org. For further information on or to register for the next Acquisition Research Symposium during the third week of May, please visit our conference website at: www.researchsymposium.org.Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Supply Chain Networks for Perishable and Essential Commodities: Design and Vulnerabilities

The article of record as published may be located at http://www.joscm.com.br/previous/3-2/download/JOSCM_VOL3_NUMBER2_3.pdfThis paper presents the results of our case-based research into the causes and remedies of fresh produce supply chain disruptions resulting from contamination. The research was motivated by the incident of E-coli outbreak in packaged spinach in the US. We base our analysis on informa- tion gathered from published literature and data collection in the region from personnel involved in Agriculture. Our research is aimed at addressing the following research questions: What key factors contribute to the vulnerability to disruption from contamination and what are the interrelationships between these contributing factors? What managerial actions may be taken to minimize the fresh pro- duce supply chain’s vulnerability to disruption? In this research we develop a conceptual framework consisting of the contributing factors: product type, topological structure, exposure to contamination, product traceability, and communication. The practice related contributions of this research are mana- gerial insight and recommended actions derived from the proposed conceptual framework

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