Summary: | The Marine Corps trains its aviation units according to a Training and Readiness (T&R) Program that quantifies combat readiness based on completion of prescribed sets of training 'events' (e.g., aircraft training flights, tactical control of aircraft, simulator training, etc.). Efficient scheduling of these events is vital to wringing more readiness, i.e., combat power, from shrinking resources. Schedules assign individuals (pilots, naval flight officers, or air controllers) to events and time periods while satisfying T&R Program event sequence, event repetition, and qualification requirements. Secondary to readiness, units pursue equity of opportunity and workload among individuals to preserve morale and produce a wider base of fully combat-qualified warriors. This thesis develops a bicriteria mixed integer programming model that maximizes a combined function of readiness and equity over a time horizon of ninety days. The model enforces T&R Program requirements and personnel availability constraints. A schedule that includes equitability constraints is within 98.1% of optimal readiness, but reduces 'inequity' by 79.9%. Schedules are typically created in 10 minutes on a personal computer.
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