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The purpose of this paper is to identify how coordination has evolved in humanitarian logistics (HL), what were the triggers for change and how have they been facilitated.

This paper applies a systematic literature review of academic journals.

This is the first paper to discuss the concepts of network orchestration and choreography in a humanitarian context. The research revealed that network coordination has moved on in the commercial sector to include orchestration and now, choreography concepts which have not been tested in HL literature. This reveals a lag exists between HL research and practice.

This paper represents an exploratory study and provides the basis for further research on the concepts of orchestration and choreography in HL. The paper sets a research agenda for academics.

This paper is the first to discuss the concepts of network orchestration and choreography in a humanitarian context.

The areas of orchestration and choreography have received limited consideration within the humanitarian aid logistics literature to date. This paper is designed to redress this shortfall. As a result, it is hoped that it will act as a catalyst for further research and to widen and deepen the resultant debate with a view to improving the outcome for those affected by current and future disasters.

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.

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.

The aim of this paper is to offer a conceptual model and an associated taxonomy to support the development of a body of knowledge in support of the logistic response to a natural or man‐made disaster.

Based on a literature review, the paper outlines the difficulties associated with the logistic response to a disaster, before discussing a generic approach to knowledge management. The literature review is then used to identify two potential models (the Supply‐Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) and the UK Defence Lines of Development (LOD)), which are then further developed and integrated in order to underpin a knowledge taxonomy.

The paper proposes a model that combines both the SCOR and LOD models into a unified approach as a first step towards the development of a broad‐ranging reference source to support humanitarian logisticians and, thereby, improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the response to future disasters.

As a first step towards the creation of a knowledge taxonomy, this conceptual paper does not attempt to validate the model, but it proposes an approach by which this could be undertaken.

Given the plethora of non‐governmental organizations (NGOs) in the broadest sense of this categorization, and also recognizing the varied nature of their aims, objectives and approaches, the paper pays particular attention to the need to develop a model that can be supported by the NGO community as a whole.

The paper proposes an improved model to support the development of a body of knowledge in support of the logistic response to a natural or man‐made disaster.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the supply chain management (SCM) skills that support the sensing and seizing of opportunities in a changing business environment.

Based on the previous literature on the T-shaped model of SCM skills, data were collected through a mail survey among Australian business executives. The resultant skill sets are grouped along factors that support the sensing vs seizing of opportunities.

Interestingly from an SCM perspective, functional logistics-related skills are important to maintain competitiveness but are not the ones contributing to a firm’s ability to sense opportunities and threats, and to seize opportunities in a changing business environment. The authors, therefore, support the notion that supply chain managers should be managers first. Factual SCM knowledge is the solid basis, but otherwise only an entry requirement in this field.

Problem-solving skills, along with forecasting and customer/supplier relationship management, stand out as important components that support the ability of supply chain managers to sense and shape opportunities and threats in a turbulent business environment. This focus would tend to suggest the importance of supply chain integration and collaboration as management approaches. Other SCM skills from warehousing and inventory management to transportation and purchasing are more prevalent for maintaining competitiveness.

The results of the survey and the consequential analysis indicate that the content of tertiary-level educational programmes should be significantly reviewed to deliver two distinct (but partially overlapping) streams that focus on the generalist and functionalist managers who must work together in the management of the increasingly global and complex supply chains.

Functional skills often form the basis of training and education programmes for supply chain managers. Whilst these form the solid foundation for their jobs, they are entry requirements at best. In a changing business environment, other skills are needed for success. Given that turbulence is becoming the norm rather than the exception, this finding necessitates rethinking in training and education programmes, as well as in the recruitment of supply chain managers.

Testing the T-shaped model of SCM skills from a dynamic capabilities perspective, the results of the factor analysis lead to a regrouping of skill sets in terms of sensing and seizing opportunities in a turbulent business environment.

The purpose of this paper is to compare perspectives on humanitarian logistics (HL) and supply chain management (SCM) among programmes and logistics/support staff.

Underpinned by services supply chain management (SSCM) theory, a single case study of a leading international non-governmental organisation is presented based on a web-based survey of the organisation’s global operations staff, supplemented by semi-structured interviews conducted with senior representatives.

The study is believed to be the first to consider the different perspectives of programmes and logistics staff on the interpretation of logistics and SCM. The results indicate both significant divergence between the views of these two cohorts, as well as a general lack of clarity over the concept of SCM, its relationship with logistics and the cross-functional nature of SCM.

Insufficient responses from programme staff limit the generalisability of the findings. Suggestions for future research include further examination of the potential of applying SSCM and demand chain management concepts to the humanitarian context.

The results support the notion that a broader, more strategic interpretation of SCM, more clearly distinguished from the practice of HL, may assist in breaking down perceived jurisdictional boundaries, bridging the gap between programmes and logistics teams, and strengthening demand-chain influences and the “voice of the beneficiary”.

By taking into account the views of non-logisticians, a broader, cross-functional interpretation of SCM is offered leading to revised definitions for both SCM and HL within this sector, together with a framework that integrates SCM across humanitarian relief and development contexts.

The purpose of this paper is to help optimize sustainment logistics for US Army brigade combat teams, which may face challenges in transporting their assigned assets.

This paper develops a simulation framework with an integrated integer programming optimization model. The integer-programming model optimizes sustainment outcomes of supported battalions on a daily basis, whereas the simulation framework analyzes risk associated with shortfalls that may arise over the entire duration of a conflict.

This work presents a scenario reflecting the steady resupply of an infantry brigade combat team during combat operations and presents an in-depth risk analysis for possible fleet compositions.

The risk curves obtained allow decision-makers and commanders to optimize vehicle fleet design in advance of a conflict.

Some 40 years ago Horst Rittel and Melvin Webber published a seminal paper in which they discussed the “wicked problems” facing those who sought to develop solutions to urban planning challenges. Their work recognised that many of the decisions faced by modern management are multi‐faceted, and involve a plethora of stakeholders each with a diverse view of what good might look like. The aim of this paper is to consider how the ensuing rich vein of literature relating to the management of such problems might be applied to the logistic challenges of preparing for and responding to a disaster.

This paper first examines the issues, dilemmas and decisions facing the humanitarian logistician, as a key component of the preparation and response to a disaster, and concludes that they fall firmly into the ambit of a wicked problem. The paper then reviews the literature that proposes methods for management of such problems, and applies it to the humanitarian logistics field.

The paper concludes that further research is needed to understand the ways in which the three primary approaches of employing authoritative, competitive and collaborative strategies might be best evaluated and employed. In doing so, it recognises that it is essential to engage with the broader disaster management and humanitarian logistic communities in order to help operationalise this theoretical approach.

While the concept of a wicked problem and the associated broad spectrum of literature has developed over a considerable period of time, this has not previously been applied to the challenge of humanitarian logistics which, it is argued, meets all the criteria to be considered as a truly wicked problem.