Operations Research and Statistics Seminar

Most Recent

• Sep

  08
• [2026] Deploying Optimization Methods for Contested Logistics Across the Joint Force

  Dr. Rob Curry

  University of Arkansas

  Time: 03:45 PM

  View Abstract

  Contested logistics presents a fundamental challenge for military operations: how can forces sustain movement, supply, and operational effectiveness when transportation networks are threatened, disrupted, capacity-constrained, and actively opposed by an adversary? This seminar presents a body of optimization models and methods focused on the design and operation of resilient logistics networks under competition and uncertainty. The work has been shaped by sustained engagement with operational and institutional partners across the Department of Defense, including U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC), the U.S. Army Combined Arms Support Command (CASCOM), the Office of Naval Research, and other organizations confronting contested logistics challenges. Across Army, Air Force, and naval applications, our research examines how routing, resource allocation, network design, and operational decisions interact in adversarial environments. We primarily deploy network optimization models to connect strategic planning decisions with their operational consequences. The seminar will highlight the evolution of this research agenda and identify opportunities for future collaborative work supporting distributed, resilient, and operationally relevant military logistics.

• Apr

  17
• [2026] Space-Based Boost-Phase Interception

  2ndLt Lysander Rehnstrom, USMC

  North Carolina State University

  Time: 12:40 PM

  View Abstract

  The current United States midcourse interception architecture could be overwhelmed by a high-volume Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) attack. In response, the Iron Dome for America initiative has renewed interest in advanced missile defense technologies to counter next-generation strategic threats. This study evaluates space-based boost-phase interception (SBPI) to strengthen U.S. missile defense. Boost-phase interception offers key advantages: ICBMs emit strong thermal signatures, follow predictable trajectories, and can be destroyed before deploying multiple warheads. However, the short engagement window forces ground- and air-based systems to operate near hostile territory. Space-based interceptors enable early engagement without needing forward-positioned systems. This research develops an optimization framework using an integer linear program (ILP) to design constellations that minimize the number of satellites while maximizing “worst-case” lethality across potential launch locations. Performance is evaluated using standardized metrics for interceptor efficiency, geographic coverage equity, and system robustness, enabling comparison across interceptor velocities and salvo capacities. A large-scale design of experiments examines tradeoffs across regions, missile classes, and target densities. Preliminary results show that interceptor speed is a critical initial constraint but exhibits diminishing returns beyond a threshold. Moreover, increased salvo capacity does not significantly reduce required constellation density; thus, lower-capacity architectures achieve comparable coverage with fewer interceptors. Overall, medium-speed, low-capacity configurations perform most effectively. Optimal constellations favor heterogeneous designs, with orbital inclinations aligned to adversary launch latitudes to maximize revisit rates and higher altitudes to expand coverage despite increased response time. Results suggest that effective SBPI architecture is driven more by interceptor placement and distribution than by maximizing interceptor velocity or salvo capacity.