RESEARCH ARTICLE


Construction Material-Based Methodology for Contingency Base Selection



Ghassan K. Al-Chaar1, *, Patrick J. Guertin1, Michael K. Valentino2, Carey L. Baxter1, George W. Calfas1
1 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Engineer Research Development Center, Construction Engineering Research Laboratory, Champaign IL, USA.
2 University of Illinois, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Urbana-Champaign IL, USA.


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Creative Commons License
© 2017 Al-Chaar et al.

open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0), a copy of which is available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

* Address Correspondence to this author at U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Engineer Research Development Center, Construction Engineering Research Laboratory, Champaign IL, USA; Tel: (217) 373-7247; E-mail: Ghassan.K.Al-Chaar@usace.army.mil


Abstract

Background:

Military and nonmilitary organizations need the capability to support their expeditionary forces by selecting a temporary base of operations that projects a minimal footprint and reduces logistical burdens. For example, strategically sited temporary bases anticipate impacts on the local context and its population of siting and operating temporary bases.

Objective:

This paper describes a methodology to assess the practicality of incorporating local construction materials when planning for contingency operations in a given region. While the assessment methodology was originally developed for military planners, the principles and methods are applicable to any organization that is considering building and operating temporary locations in foreign nations.

Method:

The methodology assesses factors such as population densities, main building types, geographical regions, port locations, railroad locations, road networks, airport locations, flood-risk areas, and construction materials. The methodology optimizes all factors to yield the best material-based solution for site selection. To demonstrate the developed methodology, two hypothetical case studies are described–Dhaka in Bangladesh for its high-population density and Maiduguri in Nigeria for its low-population density and potential for disruption.

Results:

This methodology provides a contingency site selection process that does not currently exist and will assist in the reduction of materiel demand, minimize footprint, and reduce the risk to personnel. The methodology captures factors such as population densities, main building types, geographical regions, port locations, railroad locations, road networks, airport locations, flood-risk areas, and construction materials and optimizes all factors to yield the best material-based solution for site selection.

Conclusion:

This methodology provides a contingency site selection process that does not currently exist for mission planners. It is designed to produce a methodology with a goal of developing a GIS-based decision support tool to assist in siting bases of operations.

Keywords: Contingency bases, Expeditionary mission, Logistics, Construction material availability, Local construction practices, Population density factor, Military Decision Making Process.