Optimizing the Army’s Aerial Reconnaissance and Surveillance Asset Mix via the Joint Platform Allocation Tool (JPAT)

摘要

In an effort to preserve the Army’s unmatched capabilities in aerial reconnaissance and surveillance (R&S), the Integrated Capabilities Development Team (ICDT) administered a large-scale study during fiscal years 2012 and 2013 to determine in which R&S platforms and sensors the Army should invest. This report describes the Joint Platform Allocation Tool (JPAT), a mixed integer linear program developed as part of this effort. JPAT determines an optimal R&S investment portfolio by evaluating cost, performance, and production timelines of existing and planned assets, as well as these assets’ ability to perform against a 12-year prioritized mission demand signal. JPAT has informed critical resourcing decisions concerning the Army’s long-term investment strategy.