COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS OF MARINE CORPS OPERATIONAL SUPPORT AIRLIFT: ALTERNATIVE ACQUISITION AND FORCE STRUCTURES FOR MARINE CORPS OPERATIONAL SUPPORT AIRLIFT

The United States Marine Corps (USMC) currently operates 28 operational support airlift (OSA) aircraft. The USMC must maintain the requirements set forth by the Department of Defense in a cost-effective way to ensure the OSA aircraft and personnel accomplish the mission. In this thesis, I use a cost-benefit analysis to examine the current OSA fleet, specifically the UC-12W and UC-35D platforms and several feasible alternative courses of action (COAs). In my analysis, by estimating the costs associated with operations, support, and personnel, I find that there are cost-saving opportunities of approximately $2 million over the five-year cost projection by implementing an alternative COA that adds three additional UC-12W aircraft to the OSA fleet. The findings of the cost-benefit analysis provide evidence that the current structure of medium- and short-range aircraft is not the most cost-effective; therefore, a restructuring of the UC-12W and UC-35D must be undertaken to ensure the OSA program maximizes cost savings.