For various reasons, including the commander's priorities and expected mission requirements, U.S. Marine Corps amphibious lift requirements, that is, the space needed on ships to transport equipment for a given mission, may exceed the U.S. Navy's lift capacity. Thus, Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs) afloat generally do not have all their support personnel and equipment on board. What is the impact of this shortfall on a MEU's ability to complete the tasks associated with its mission, especially when the mission includes reconstruction and stabilization operations? Close examination reveals that, in general, MEUs do not fail as a result of these equipment shortfalls; Marine Corps commanders are able to make use of the equipment they have in innovative and creative ways to accomplish the tasks at hand. However, equipment shortfalls do force shortcuts and sometimes sacrifice the quality and speed of task completion. This report describes the development of an automated tool for allocating both equipment and personnel to complete the tasks associated with 15 MEU missions, highlighting the associated equipment implications.
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