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This research analyzes the usage of the MV-22B for logistics or passenger/mail/cargo sorties in the Indo-Pacific region. Specifically, it focuses on its application to the transport of high-priority aircraft parts from locations ashore to the aviation combat element embarked on an amphibious assault ship, multipurpose (LHD) or amphibious assault ship, general purpose (LHA). Supporting the aviation combat element as it conducts distributed aviation operations inside and on the periphery of the weapon engagement zone in the Pacific is widely unknown in an expeditionary advanced base framework in the great power competition. Two hypothetical scenarios are presented as frameworks to aid in the understanding of MV-22B utilization for logistics. Real-world high-priority aircraft part demand and sortie data, provided by the operating forces, were collected, analyzed, and inserted into the scenarios. The resulting outputs provide new insight on aircraft employment and risks associated with sorties in the engagement zone. Recommendations are given for improving sustainment capabilities while operating in a Marine expeditionary unit construct. Captain, United States Marine Corps Major, United States Marine Corps Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

The Marine Corps’ Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO) concept places small, distributed forces within a contested environment to achieve strategic effects. However, current sustainment platforms and infrastructure lack the ability to provide required support in the context of EABO. As such, the Marine Corps must develop a novel resilient and robust distribution network capable of providing responsive sustainment to forces conducting EABO. To solve this problem, we develop a two-stage stochastic mixed integer linear program that seeks to minimize the cost of instantiating and operating a sustainment network across a range of possible in-context scenarios. Among the network’s constraints are demand, cost, capacity, risk, and supply considerations. Of these constraints, demand introduces the most uncertainty. Fluctuations in demand come from a variety of factors to include intensity of conflict, attrition, and other combat dynamics. Through the explicit and judicious modeling of such uncertainty, our model provides solutions that are robust to a wide range of demand scenarios. By implementing our model in a notional operational scenario in the South China Sea, we provide results and insights that ultimately assist the Marine Corps by providing an analytical basis for determining an optimal network comprised of locations, capacities, and prepositioning quantities for sustaining forces conducting EABO in the western Pacific. Outstanding Thesis Captain, United States Marine Corps Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.