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The purpose of this paper is to present a model for selecting specific assets to be used in relief and disaster response missions based on the capabilities of, and contributions to, the demanded need for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. During past disasters, the US Navy (USN) has responded with whatever ships were in the area regardless of their contribution to the need. The authors use data from the USN that has been gathered in other studies as an illustration of how the model may be applied to allocate the most useful vessels at the lowest cost.

A simple optimization model is used that utilizes scored capabilities as well as the estimated costs associated with US Naval vessels that will allocate the most useful assets at the lowest economic cost.

The model selects the most effective assets while minimizing the estimated economic cost. The US Naval assets that contribute the most effective humanitarian assistance and disaster response capability at the lowest cost are amphibious ships, leased commercial vessels and ready reserve force cargo ships.

This research fills a critical gap in the literature as there is no research that takes into account national Navy capability and proposes a solution to find those assets that are most mission and cost effective. As the USN looks for ways to cut costs while meeting mission priorities it will be necessary to determine which ship classes and types contribute the most while saving cost. The model introduced in this research provides insight into where investments should be made to meet strategic goals.

Continuous process improvement has been widely taught in business schools and has yielded real results and success in both for-profit and non-profit sectors. Though there have been many cases developed for use in business schools, few, if any, situate the topic in a military context. Further, expeditionary logistics presents managers with special problems of being removed from their supporting enterprise systems that process, track, and/or control of such logistical elements as purchase orders, inventory, distribution, receivables, and fulfillment. The authors present a case in a military setting that exposes students to the challenges of expeditionary logistics and takes them through the fundamentals of process analysis and process improvement.

The authors used a research methodology of a case study. Data were collected during field visits over the course of multiple interviews. Interviews were conducted with subject matter experts and active professionals serving in US Navy expeditionary logistics roles regarding processes and process performance.

This case can be applied to senior undergraduate or graduate-level courses in operations management, supply chain management, or logistics.

The theoretical bases adopted in this paper are supply chain management, information technology, operations management, and process improvement methodologies such as Six Sigma and Lean.

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate, through the example of the Springfield Armory and its role in the development of interchangeable parts, the critical role of government in establishing a cluster of organizations that evolved into an innovation ecosystem primarily located in the Connecticut River Valley in the 1800s. Using the Springfield Armory example, we use the related but largely unjoined concepts of ecosystem and networks to show that these organizational forms are effective in driving innovation.

The design uses an in-depth analysis of the role of the Springfield Armory to explicate the joining of network and ecosystem theory as an early example of the importance of governmental funding and support for innovation.

The development of interchangeable parts in the American arms industry in the 19th century transformed manufacturing worldwide. At the heart of this transformation was the network of arms makers that developed in the Connecticut River Valley as a direct result of US Government investment and support. This network of arms makers evolved into an ecosystem of mutually reinforcing relationships as machine tool manufacturers benefited from an environment of free-flowing intellectual property, information and growing governmental demand for arms. The Armory illustrates the government’s role in initiating and sustaining clusters of innovation that otherwise might not have developed as quickly.

Much of the research on the role of government in creating innovation ecosystems and organizational networks is based on modern organizations. This use of the Springfield Armory in the early 1800s broadens the knowledge on how innovation ecosystems in conjunction with networked organizations can be created by governments serving the public good.

This research aims to provide a historical example of how an innovation champion radically changed the operations of the circus industry by incorporating both the rational and actuation models in his scaling-up innovations. The innovations to the logistics and operations of the P. T. Barnum Circus, “The Greatest Show on Earth”, created by William C. Coup in response to the massive technological development of integrated railroad systems offer new insights into how management effectuation operates through the capabilities and experiences of an innovation champion.

The authors use a theoretically anchored longitudinal study that captures the mechanisms and processes of innovation by adopting an explorative, inductive research design in the form of a single in-depth case analysis.

Coup’s contributions show how the management innovation process works and adds detail with regard to how a champion of change may succeed in an effectuation process. Coup’s management innovation was in scaling-up others’ innovations. In an effectuation process similar to what entrepreneurs must do when their new ideas find a growing market acceptance, Coup repeatedly scaled-up others’ ideas in ways that changed how his industry operated.

Although there is some agreement on how management influences innovation in their organizations, research identifying the characteristics of managers that cause them to be innovation champions is still evolving and this current work adds to this endeavor. This work provides a rich illustration of an innovation champion’s use of effectuation as a process of experimentation to discover pragmatic and effective solutions to problems arising from the use of new technology or scaling business models to levels never before imagined.

The purpose of this paper is to provide an introduction to the special issue on defence logistics. To achieve this, an overview of the field of defence logistics is offered together with a discussion of the historical and contemporary issues that have confronted researchers and practitioners. Current research is described, and a research agenda for future work in the field is proposed.

The paper is based upon a conceptual discussion of defence logistics as it has been studied in the past and is being studied in the present, and a reflection on the ways in which past research can usefully inform future research agendas.

The paper discusses the current state of defence logistics research, and proposes a research agenda for future work based upon the anticipated characteristics of future combat operations.

A future research agenda is proposed that is informed by recent transformations in the conduct of warfare, as well as through anticipated changes in the global strategic landscape. Comparisons are made between defence logistics operations and their commercial counterparts to illustrate where there may be opportunities for adaptation based on the underlying similarities.

This paper discusses the major threads and themes of defence logistics research as a discipline, highlights the changing landscape of conflict in the 21st century and provides a future research agenda for those working in the field.

Both the military and non-military organizations (NMO) bring assets, skills, and capabilities to a humanitarian crisis, however, their capabilities and competencies are very diverse. Identification of the specific competencies and capabilities that are core to these types of organizations can enable better planning by both military and NMOs, allowing them to achieve greater effectiveness and efficiency in the humanitarian response. The purpose of this paper is to explore the core capabilities of the military and NMOs engaged in humanitarian operations.

The work builds on existing literature on the core competency of the corporation. The authors extend the concept of the ability to identify, cultivate, and exploit the core capabilities in the private sector to the organizations that want to respond efficiently and effectively to disasters. The authors develop a core competencies test for such organizations.

The research identifies the competencies and capabilities that are core to the US military and NMOs for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. By identifying such abilities the authors establish a vein of research for exploring the role of such organizations to facilitate greater understanding among academics, policy makers, and decision makers in public administration, public health, and international aid.

Existing literature in humanitarian logistics does not adequately address identification of those competencies and capabilities that are core to the military organizations and NMOs and are most needed during the operational life cycle of a humanitarian crisis. In addition to identifying them, the authors compare the core capabilities of the military and NMO.

This paper aims to develop a “line of sight” between improved military capability through supply network effectiveness to trust and shared values, and test the proposition that the effectiveness of the UK's military supply network (SN) will reflect the extent of the shared values within that network.

Using a three unit case study, the extent of the shared values is tested using a computer aided text analysis technique and an amended version of the Kuhn and McPartland Twenty Statements Test.

The research was unable to demonstrate alignment between higher levels of shared values and SN effectiveness. This may reflect the marked differences between commercial SNs which incorporate an assumption of near total elasticity of supply and aim at “on time in full” delivery, and their military counterparts which, not least for budgetary constraint reasons, do not have the same drivers of performance.

Further investigation should be undertaken to examine the generalisability of the research findings both within the UK and internationally.

The research underlines the caution that should be exercised when attempting to migrate commercial SN management thinking to a military environment.

Notwithstanding the vast sums expended on the provision of defence logistics, there is only very limited consideration of how best to achieve the appropriate balance between efficiency (low cost – especially in peacetime) and effectiveness (life saving – especially in war). This research offers some early insights using two novel techniques that represent valuable alternative means of understanding the impact of issues such as trust and shared values within SNs.

This paper aims to present a study on the organization of military logistics under “hot” conditions in an expeditionary crisis response operation. The authors' main research question is: in what way is armed forces logistics sourcing organized in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan?

To answer their research question, the authors conducted a case study including field research at military sites in Afghanistan. The case study is focused on military organizations that operate in a hostile and ambiguous environment. The authors compare sourcing of three categories of support services, i.e. facilities management, maintenance & logistics and security.

The authors' results include a systematic overview of the organization of command, logistic and accounting (sourcing) in the ISAF mission, involving multinational military partners and contractors. Second, the authors show how Canada, NATO, The Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the USA sourced the three categories of services mentioned in terms of sourcing profiles. Focusing on contracting, the authors outline which strategies NATO and the countries mentioned used in practice. And finally, differences and similarities are highlighted in the area of funding and accounting.

While the authors' study provides insight in the use of sourcing profiles identified in this paper, more research is necessary to identify criteria for explaining sourcing decisions of armed forces.

The paper provides a systematic overview for practitioners and scholars and enhances manageability and policy development relevant for those who prepare, execute, monitor and evaluate missions.

The authors' paper is one of the first to provide a systematic overview in operational defense sourcing relying on first‐hand field data. This area of study is fragmented and remains mostly closed for non‐military researchers.

When deploying a frigate to the Gulf of Aden as a part of the Operation Atalanta, the Norwegian Defence outsourced logistics to a TPL provider. The purpose of this paper is to explore the cooperation between the Defence and the TPL provider during the operation.

A qualitative design was chosen. Semi‐structured interviews were combined with relevant secondary sources. A theoretical framework formed the basis for the interviews.

No long‐term history existed between the parties before the cooperation, and no psychological contracts between individuals at tactical levels were made beforehand. Yet the cooperation was a success. It seems that this to a large degree depended on the individuals assigned to the project.

The research highlights the need to address not only how to design physical supply structures but also how to ensure adequate levels of collaborative competence within civil‐military project groups. Further research is needed to investigate how to embed key suppliers in Defence logistics structures and how supply chains for short‐term, limited deployments impact on logistics arrangements for the permanent structure of the Defence.

This research gives the Norwegian Defence valuable knowledge about how to collaborate with commercial logistics providers.

This research highlights challenges when embedding suppliers into military supply chains. This is of importance not just when supplying deployed forces but also when considering supplier integration, e.g. through PPP and PBL.

The purpose of this research is to analyse military logistics providing a decision support instrument for contracting in defence supply chains.

This instrument – the Performance‐Based Logistics (PBL) portfolio – is developed following the contingency approach. Qualitative interviews and illustrative examples from Germany, Austria and Switzerland are used to validate the portfolio.

The proposed portfolio examines a military demand in respect of its required effectiveness (robustness and resilience), and the suppliers' ability to influence efficiency (forecast and supply risk). In combination, the contingencies are used to recommend three alternative types of PBL contracting.

This paper is based on conceptual work with illustrative case examples. Therefore, although the authors believe that the PBL portfolio provides useful guidance for further research, the empirical applicability of this instrument must be proven.

The research on PBL is gaining importance, but still there remains a deficiency of theoretical grounding and management instruments. This study is a first approach to use the contingency framework for developing such an instrument. The value of the PBL portfolio lies in supporting normative decision making for contracting military supply.