Impact of FASTSHIP and High Speed Sealift on Strategic Sealift

The commercial sealift industry is breaking free of the constraints of traditional hull designs that characterize present vessels. Several alternative designs are being developed to fulfill the need for high speed, heavy payload capable, long distance transportation. One such design, FASTSHIP is thought to be capable of speeds of 45 knots, carrying 8000 long tons, over 5000 nautical miles. This paper uses a combination of spreadsheet based linear programming (LP) and genetic algorithms (GA) to find the best mix of a military application of FASTSHIP's capabilities in strategic sealift. Using data and requirements from past Mobility Requirements Studies (MRS), the Excel based Sealift Optimization Model finds a minimum Net Present Value (NPV) cost mix of sealift ships needed to meet given requirements of cargo and containers within a specified time period subject to several constraints. Various acquisition methods are explored in the determination of cost to include buy, lease, and joint commercial use. Analysis of the model output validates that the current sealift mix is sufficient, however FASTSHIP may provide added capability to meet increased requirements at a cost with a commercial joint venture offering the least cost solution, especially if the Ready Reserve Force (RRF) is allowed to decrease.