Date of Award

3-2000

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Department of Operational Sciences

First Advisor

Prof D. F. Deckro, PhD

Abstract

Scheduling an air campaign is time and labor intensive. Exacerbating the problem, combat planners use manual methods to accomplish much of this daunting but critical task. While some work has been done to automate the process, the approaches used generate schedules that must undergo major modifications before they are "flyable." Planners, therefore, distrust the results and use the automated features of the software sparingly. Additional problems arise due to the lag time between the publication of the Air Tasking Order (ATO) and the start of the ATO day. During this time, conditions change in the dynamic battlespace (aircraft break, runways are damaged, etc.). Current execution software performs a validation check against current conditions, but yields no replanning options. This research explores using heuristics to determine good solutions for the initial air campaign plan and extends previous work by including air-tasking priorities. Additionally, the heuristics are adapted to generate replanning options for the ATO Execution Managers. Java was used for portability and for object reusability elsewhere in the planning hierarchy. Furthermore, the method may be applied to other areas in commercial, government, and military organizations. The heuristic can be modified for use in any enterprise where re-scheduling is common.

AFIT Designator

AFIT-ENS-GOR-00M-06

DTIC Accession Number

ADA378261

Comments

The author's Vita page is omitted.

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