Optimizing Schedules for Maritime Humanitarian Cooperative Engagements from a United States Navy Sea Base

This paper introduces Global Fleet Station Mission Planner (GFSMP), an optimization tool to aid in mission planning and the scheduling of humanitarian assistance missions for the US Navy. GFSMP helps fleet staffs to examine how one naval ship, which was deployed for an extended period (e.g., six months), with embarked teams can best provide humanitarian assistance. We illustrate the application of GFSMP using notional data from the fall 2007 Gulf of Guinea African Partnership Station demonstration, which the Commander, US Naval Forces Europe–Commander, Sixth Fleet developed, and by its use in the Trident Warrior 2009 exercise, which the Commander of the US Second Fleet conducted. In contrast to manual planning GFSMP’s solutions significantly improve total mission value achieved and reduce costs. Equally important, GFSMP quickly provides decision makers with courses of action, including partial rescheduling of existing plans, in response to exigent changes. “Do good with what thou hast, or it will do thee no good.” William Penn, American colonial leader (1644–1718)