Tom R. Ulmer

Using an Adaptive Logistics Network in Africa: How Much and How Far Tom R. Ulmer

Since the 1990s, Africa has grown in strategic importance to the United States due to oil, trade, armed conflict, terrorism, and HIV/AIDS. As a result, the United States created Africa Command (AFRICOM), a new military geographic combatant command. AFRICOM's mission is to aid African development and promote regional security. As part of its mission, AFRICOM will need to move cargo throughout Africa, which has the least developed transportation infrastructure in the world. Coupled with the poor infrastructure issue, AFRICOM only has one base on the continent and extremely limited dedicated transport assets. AFRICOM logistics planners' solution to this problem is the creation of an Adaptive Logistics Network (ALN) that can expand or contract as necessary using in place transportation assets owned by African businesses. However, logistics planners still must know how much cargo can be pushed through individual airports, and once there, how far that cargo can be moved in a given amount of time. Two mobility modeling simulations, the Airport Simulation Tool (AST) and the Enhanced Logistics Intra-theater Support Tool (ELIST), are detailed by this study showing how they can assist in estimating the answers to how much and how far. The models' capabilities and limitations are explored, and recommendations are made to assist AFRICOM in the use of these two tools to aid AFRICOM logistics planning and forecasting.