Strategic Air Deployment Resource Planning

“Steady-state” methods have long been used to calculate unit closure times in military strategic air deployment planning studies. The development of a simple, yet powerful, simulation model (Airlift Fleet Evaluation Model) has allowed a significant advance in deployment analysis capability. Using a simplified NATO reinforcement scenario, minimum deployment times, as determined by two steady-state methods, are compared with simulation results and the applicability of the several approaches is discussed. Resource levels and allocations meeting typical mission requirements are determined. An assessment is made of the credibility of a published planning factor value for the time to deploy an Army division to Europe.