An algorithm for generating ship schedules for a crisis deployment problem

Abstract : A deployment is the movement of armed forces from their home bases to their strategic locations. The movement of these forces usually involves the transportation of military personnel as well as equipment and supplies. In a crisis situation, it is essential that the deployment is carried out in a expeditious manner. This study considers the problem of constructing a deployment plan for sealift assets which transport military personnel, equipment, and supplies to their designated location in the least amount of time. In the construction of such a plan, feasible transportation schedules for each asset must be specified. When the number of movement requirements is large, the problem of arranging schedules for the assets is nontrivial. This thesis, therefore, describes an algorithm to generate these schedules. Crisis deployment, Deployment plan, Schedule generator, Dantzig-Wolfe decomposition, Ship schedule, Surface transportation.