Issues and Challenges in Self-Sustaining Response Supply Chains

Abstract

The most basic representation of a supply chain has three elements: supply, demand, and the flow between the two. A humanitarian response supply chain (RSC) tends to have unknown demand and at best uncertain supply with disrupted flow. A self-sustaining supply chain requires that the supply chain itself provide all resources consumed while transporting supplies, thus complicating the operations with numerous challenges and unfamiliar issues. If an RSC is self-sustaining, it will reduce some of the uncertainties in supply. However, self-sustaining response supply chains (SSRSC) generate significant additional cost. We explore the issues and challenges of SSRSC that arise in logistics networks in order to understand the costs associated with SSRSC observed in special operations and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.