Department of Industrial and Management Engineering

Project: Operation Research

The Analysis of Problem Using: Network Optimization Models

Special Case 9.1 Aiding Allies

University of Turabo

Facilitator:

Alexander X. Félix Rodríguez

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The Analysis of Problem Aiding Allies / “The Battle of the Monopoly” 

The siege starts the following way in a cold night in October in Russia. Commander
Votachev and his two years dream of work and training revolutionaries east of the Ural
Mountains has proved successful; his troops now occupy seven strategically important
cities in the Russian Federation: Kazan, Perm, Yekaterinburg, Ufa, Samara, Saratov, and
Orenburg. His siege is not yet over, however. He looks to the west. Given the political and
economic confusion in the Russian Federation at this time, he knows that his troops will be
able to conquer Saint Petersburg, Moscow and Rostov shortly. Across the Pacific Ocean, a
meeting of the top security and foreign policy advisers of the United States is in progress at
the White House. The President has recently been briefed about the communist revolution
masterminded by Commander Votachev and is determining a plan of action. The President
reflects upon a similar October long ago in 1917, and he fears the possibility of a new age
of radical Communist rule accompanied by chaos, bloodshed, escalating tensions, and
 possibly nuclear war. He therefore decides that the United States needs to respond and to
respond quickly. Moscow has requested assistance from the United States military, and the
President plans to send troops and supplies immediately. The President turns to General
Lankletter and asks him to describe the preparations being taken in the United States to
send the necessary troops and supplies to the Russian Federation. 

General Lankletter informs the President that along with troops, weapons, ammunition,
fuel, and supplies, aircraft, ships, and vehicles are being assembled at two port cities with
airfields: Boston and Jacksonville. The aircraft and ships will transfer all troops and cargo
across the Atlantic Ocean to the Eurasian continent. The general hands the President a list
of the types of aircraft, ships, and vehicles being assembled along with a description of
each type.

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All aircraft, ships, and vehicles are able to carry both troops and cargo. Once an aircraft or
ship arrives in Europe, it stays there to support the armed forces.

The President then turns to Tabitha Neal, who has been negotiating with the NATO
countries for the last several hours to use their ports and airfields as stops to refuel and
resupply before heading to the Russian Federation. She informs the President that the
following ports and airfields in the NATO countries will be made available to the United
States military.

The President stands and walks to the map of the world projected on a large screen in the
middle of the room. He maps the progress of troops and cargo from the United States to
three strategic cities in the Russian Federation that have not yet been seized by Commander
Votachev. The three cities are Saint Petersburg, Moscow, and Rostov. He explains that the
troops and cargo will be used both to defend the Russian cities and to launch a
counterattack against Votachev to recapture the cities he currently occupies.

The President also explains that all Starlifters and transports leave Boston or Jacksonville.
All transports that have traveled across the Atlantic must dock at one of the NATO ports to
unload. Palletized load system trucks brought over in the transports will then carry all
troops and materials unloaded from the ships at the NATO ports to the three strategic
Russian cities not yet seized by Votachev. All Starlifters that have traveled across the
Atlantic must land at one of the NATO airfields for refueling. The planes will then carry all
troops and cargo from the NATO airfields to the three Russian cities.

The US Government Capabilities and Intruments of War

Transportation Type Name Capacity Speed

Aircraft C - 141 Starlifter 150 400 MPH
Ship Transport 240 35 MPH
Vehicle Palletized Load 16,000 Kilograms 60 MPH
System Truck
The US NATO or Allies Ports and Airfields

Ports Airfields
Napoli, Italy London, UK
Hamburg, Germany Berlin, Germany
Rotterdam, Netherlands Istanbul, Turkey

The cities that need to be protected from Commander Votachev

City Requirements
Saint Petersburg 320,000 Tons
Moscow 440,000 Tons
Rostov 240,000 Tons

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(A) Draw a network showing the different routes troops and supplies may take to reach the
Russian Federation from the United States.

The military analyzing and verifying the distances in kilometers of their NATO Airfields
and ports all around the United States, Europe and Russia

Length of
From To - (Ports) Route From To - (Airfields) Length of Route
USA Boston Napoli 7,950Km Boston London 6,200Km
Europe Boston Hamburg 8,250Km Boston Berlin 7,250Km
Boston Rotterdam 6,900Km Boston Istanbul 8,300Km
USA Jacksonville Napoli 9,400Km Jacksonville London 7,900Km
Europe Jacksonville Hamburg 9,800Km Jacksonville Berlin 9,200Km
Jacksonville Rotterdam 8,900Km Jacksonville Istanbul 10,100Km

From: (Ports) & (Airfields) To: Russia Length of Route

Europe Berlin St. Petersburg 1,280Km
Russia Hamburg St. Petersburg 1,880Km
Istanbul St. Petersburg 2,040Km
London St. Petersburg 1,980Km
Rotterdam St. Petersburg 2,200Km
Napoli St. Petersburg 2,970Km
Europe Berlin Moscow 1,600Km
Russia Hamburg Moscow 2,120Km
Istanbul Moscow 1,700Km
London Moscow 2,300Km
Rotterdam Moscow 2,450Km
Napoli Moscow 2,890Km
Europe Berlin Rostov 1,730Km
Russia Hamburg Rostov 2,470Km
Istanbul Rostov 990Km
London Rostov 2,860Km
Rotterdam Rostov 2,760Km
Napoli Rostov 2,800Km

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The Network is showing the different routes that troops and supplies will take  

Berlin

St. Petersburg

Hamburg

Boston

Istanbul

Moscow

London

Jacksonville

Rotterdam

Rostov

Napoli

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(B)  Moscow and Washington do not know when Commander Votachev will launch his
next attack. Leaders from the two countries have therefore agreed that troops should reach
each of the three strategic Russian cities as quickly as possible. The President has
determined that the situation is so dire that cost is no object — as many Starlifters,
transports, and trucks as are necessary will be used to transfer troops and cargo from the
United States to Saint Petersburg, Moscow, and Rostov. Therefore, no limitations exist on
the number of troops and amount of cargo that can be transferred between any cities. The
President has been given the following information about the length of the available routes
 between cities: Given the distance and the speed of the transportation used between each
 pair of cities, how can the President most quickly move troops from the United States to
each of the three strategic Russian cities? Highlight the path(s) on the network. How long
will it take troops and supplies to reach Saint Petersburg? Moscow? Rostov?

From: Boston –  United States

Berlin

St. Petersburg

Hamburg

Boston

Istanbul

Moscow

London

Jacksonville

Rotterdam
 

Rostov

Napoli

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From: Jaksonville –   United States

Berlin

St. Petersburg

Hamburg

Boston

Istanbul

Moscow

London

Jacksonville

Rotterdam

Rostov

Napoli

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Finding the best and shortest path to get to their NATO bases

Problem B From: Boston, United States

Starlifter
First leg Second leg Total km Total miles Hrs
Boston Berlin Saint Petersburg 7250 1280 8530 5300.542 13.251355
Boston Berlin Moscow 7250 1600 8850 5499.39 13.748475
Boston Berlin Rostov 7250 1730 8980 5580.172 13.95043

Boston Hamburg Saint Petersburg 8250 1880 10130 6294.782 15.736955

Boston Hamburg Moscow 8250 2120 10370 6443.918 16.109795
Boston Hamburg Rostov 8250 2470 10720 6661.408 16.65352

Boston Istanbul Saint Petersburg 8300 2040 10340 6425.276 16.06319

Boston Istanbul Moscow 8300 1700 10000 6214 15.535
Boston Istanbul Rostov 8300 990 9290 5772.806 14.432015

Boston London Saint Petersburg 6200 1980 8180 5083.052 12.70763

Boston London Moscow 6200 2300 8500 5281.9 13.20475
Boston London Rostov 6200 2860 9060 5629.884 14.07471

Boston Rotterdam Saint Petersburg 6900 2200 9100 5654.74 14.13685

Boston Rotterdam Moscow 6900 2450 9350 5810.09 14.525225
Boston Rotterdam Rostov 6900 2760 9660 6002.724 15.00681

Boston Napoli Saint Petersburg 7950 2970 10920 6785.688 16.96422

Boston Napoli Moscow 7950 2890 10840 6735.976 16.83994
Boston Napoli Rostov 7950 2800 10750 6680.05 16.700125

The Shortest Routes and Paths

USA Europe Russia Hrs

Boston Berlin Rostov 13.95043
Boston London Saint Petersburg 12.70763
Boston London Moscow 13.20475

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Finding the best and shortest path to get to their NATO bases

Problem B From: Jacksonville, United States

Starlifter
first leg second leg Total km Total miles Hrs
Jacksonville Berlin Saint Petersburg 9200 1280 10480 6512.272 16.28068
Jacksonville Berlin Moscow 9200 1600 10800 6711.12 16.7778
Jacksonville Berlin Rostov 9200 1730 10930 6791.902 16.979755

Jacksonville Hamburg Saint Petersburg 9800 1880 11680 7257.952 18.14488

Jacksonville Hamburg Moscow 9800 2120 11920 7407.088 18.51772
Jacksonville Hamburg Rostov 9800 2470 12270 7624.578 19.061445

Jacksonville Istanbul Saint Petersburg 10100 2040 12140 7543.796 18.85949

Jacksonville Istanbul Moscow 10100 1700 11800 7332.52 18.3313
Jacksonville Istanbul Rostov 10100 990 11090 6891.326 17.228315

Jacksonville London Saint Petersburg 7900 1980 9880 6139.432 15.34858

Jacksonville London Moscow 7900 2300 10200 6338.28 15.8457
Jacksonville London Rostov 7900 2860 10760 6686.264 16.71566

Jacksonville Rotterdam Saint Petersburg 8900 2200 11100 6897.54 17.24385

Jacksonville Rotterdam Moscow 8900 2450 11350 7052.89 17.632225
Jacksonville Rotterdam Rostov 8900 2760 11660 7245.524 18.11381

Jacksonville Napoli Saint Petersburg 9400 2970 12370 7686.718 19.216795

Jacksonville Napoli Moscow 9400 2890 12290 7637.006 19.092515
Jacksonville Napoli Rostov 9400 2800 12200 7581.08 18.9527

The Shortest Routes and Paths

USA Europe Russia Hrs

Jacksonville London Rostov 16.71566
Jacksonville London Saint Petersburg 15.34858
Jacksonville London Moscow 15.8457

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(C)  The President encounters only one problem with his first plan: he has to sell the
military deployment to Congress. Under the War Powers Act, the President is required to
consult with Congress before introducing troops into hostilities or situations where
hostilities will occur. If Congress does not give authorization to the President for such use
of troops, the President must withdraw troops after 60 days. Congress also has the power to
decrease the 60-day time period by passing a concurrent resolution. The President knows
that Congress will not authorize significant spending for another country’s war, especially
when voters have paid so much attention to decreasing the national debt. He therefore
decides that he needs to find a way to get the needed troops and supplies to Saint
Petersburg, Moscow, and Rostov at the minimum cost. Each Russian city has contacted
Washington to communicate the number of troops and supplies the city needs at a
minimum for reinforcement. After analyzing the requests, General Lankletter has converted
the requests from numbers of troops, gallons of gasoline, etc., to tons of cargo for easier
 planning. The requirements are listed below.

The President of the United States must satisfy each Russian city ’s military
requirements at Minimum Cost.

Hamburg

St. Petersburg

Rotterdam

Boston

Napoli

Moscow

London

Jacksonville

Berlin

Total cost of Rostov

Operation 
Istanbul
$412,866,666 
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The second Part of the Network

Hamburg

St. Petersburg

Rotterdam

Boston

Napoli

Moscow

London

Jacksonville

Berlin

Total cost of Rostov

Operation 
Istanbul
$412,866,666 

The objective of this Algorithm network flow path is to satisfy all demands in the
network at minimum cost. The paths used to ship supplies to St.Petersburg, Moscow,
Rostov are highlighted on the following network diagram with arrows on top.  

 The entire supply for  St. Petersburg  is supplied from Jacksonville via London .
  The entire supply for   Moscow is supplied from Boston via Hamburg .
  The 240,000 tons  demanded by Rostov:

o  60 are shipped from Boston via  Istambul,

o  150 are shipped from Jacksonville via Istanbul  
o  30 are shipped from Jacksonville via London .

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The Algorithm Procedures Model

This problem can be solved as a Minimum Cost Network Flow Problem. The two nodes
that are representing US cities are supply nodes with a suppply of 500 each (we measure all
weights in 1000 tons ). The three nodes representing the Russian Federation cities
St. Petersburg, Moscow and Rostov are demand nodes with demand of -320, -440, and 240,
respectively.

All the nodes represening European airfields and ports are transshipment nodes. We
measure the flow along the arcs in 1000 tons. All arcs from European ports into
St. Petersburg have zero capacity. All the truck routes from the European point into Rostov
have a transportation limit of 2,500 that will be times 16 and that will equal 40,000 tons .

For all other nodes we determine natural act capacities based on the supplies and demands
at the nodes. We define the unit costs along the arcs in the network in $1000 per 1000 tons.

The cost of transporting 1 ton of material from Boston to Hamburg equals $3000 divided
 by 240 that will equal $125. So the cost of transporting 1000 tons from Boston to Hamburg
equals $ 125,000. 

The Nodes, Net Flow, Supply & Demand representation table

Nodes Net Flow Supply / Demand

Boston +500 +500
Jacksonville +500 +500
Hamburg 0 0
Napoli 0 0
Rotterdam 0 0

London 0 0
Berlin 0 0
Istanbul 0 0

St. Petersburg -320 -320

Moscow -440 -440
Rostov -240 -240

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(d)  Once the President releases the number of planes, ships, and trucks that will travel
 between the United States and the Russian Federation, Tabitha Neal contacts each of the
American cities and NATO countries to indicate the number of planes to expect at the
airfields, the number of ships to expect at the docks, and the number of trucks to expect
traveling across the roads. Unfortunately, Tabitha learns that several additional restrictions
exist which cannot be immediately eliminated. Because of airfield congestion and
unalterable flight schedules, only a limited number of planes may be sent between any two
cities. These plane limitations are given below. In addition, because some countries fear
that citizens will become alarmed if too many military trucks travel the public highways,
they object to a large number of trucks traveling through their countries. These objections
mean that a limited number of trucks are able to travel between certain ports and Russian
cities. These limitations are listed below. Tabitha learns that all shipping lanes have no
capacity limits, owing to the American control of the Atlantic Ocean. The President realizes
that because of all the restrictions he will not be able to satisfy all the reinforcement
requirements of the three Russian cities. He decides to disregard the cost issue and instead
to maximize the total amount of cargo he can get to the Russian cities. How does the
President maximize the total amount of cargo that reaches the Russian Federation?
Highlight the path(s) used between the United States and the Russian Federation on the
network.

Part: A - Airplanes

From To Maximum
Boston Berlin 300
Boston Istanbul 500
Boston London 500
Jacksonville Berlin 500
Jacksonville Istanbul 700
Jacksonville London 600
Berlin St. Petersburg 500
Istanbul St. Petersburg 0
London St. Petersburg 1,000
Berlin Moscow 300
Istanbul Moscow 100
London Moscow 200
Berlin Rostov 0
Istanbul Rostov 900
London Rostov 100

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Maximum Flow: Part: A - Airplanes

Boston
St. Petersburg
Berlin
Bostos
 

Moscow
Istanbul 

Jacksonville

London
Rostov

Jacksonville

Berlin St. Petersburg

Bostos
 

Moscow
Istanbul 

Jacksonville

London
Rostov

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Algorithm: Maximum Flow: Part: A - Airplanes

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Part: B

From To Maximum
Rotterdam Moscow 600 Trucks
Rotterdam Rostov 750 Trucks
Hamburg Moscow 700 Trucks
Hamburg Rostov 500 Trucks
Napoli Moscow 1,500 Trucks
Napoli Rostov 1,400 Trucks

Nodes: Rotterdam (Start)

Nodes: Napoli (Ends)

Maximum Flow: Part: B - Trucks

Moscow

Moscow

Rotterdam
Hamburg Napoli

Rostov

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Rostov

Moscow

Rotterdam
Hamburg Napoli

Rostov

Algorithm: Maximum Flow: Part: B –  Trucks

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(e) Even before all American troops and supplies had reached Saint Petersburg, Moscow,
and Rostov, infighting among Commander Votachev’s troops about whether to make the
next attack against Saint Petersburg or against Moscow split the revolutionaries. Troops
from Moscow easily overcame the vulnerable revolutionaries. Commander Votachev was
imprisoned, and the next step became rebuilding the seven cities razed by his armies. The
President’s top prio rity is to help the Russian government to reestablish communications
 between the seven Russian cities and Moscow at minimum cost. The price of installing
communication lines between any two Russian cities varies given the cost of shipping wire
to the area, the level of destruction in the area, and the roughness of the terrain. Luckily, a
city is able to communicate with all others if it is connected only indirectly to every other
city. Saint Petersburg and Rostov are already connected to Moscow, so if any of the seven
cities is connected to Saint Petersburg or Rostov, it will also be connected to Moscow. The
cost of replacing communication lines between two given cities for which this is possible is
shown below.

Table of Minimum Cost:  To reestablish Comunication lines in the Russian Federation.

Between Cost to Reestablish

St. Petersburg Perm $185,000

Kazan Perm $150,000

Kazan Samara $95,000

Kazan Ufa $105,000

Perm Yekaterinburg $85,000

Samara Saratov $100,000

Moscow Saratov $140,000

Ufa Orenburg $75,000

Orenburg Rostov $120,000

Total: $1,055,000

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The Minimum Spanning Tree Problem:  To Reestablish Communication lines in the
Russian Federation. The analysis that was done by the method Minimum Spanning Tree 
with in the Russian cities proved to be the key of success to reestablish all communication
after the aftermath.

The Cost to Reestablish the Communication Lines:

$1,055,000

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Final Moments of “The Battle of the Monopoly”  

Conclusion

The Battle for power and destruction was over for the Commander. It only took good
inteligence and swift trade crafe skills to bring down a dangerous and notorious Russian
Commander to his knees. The objective was to simply take way the 3 mayor Russian cities
from the commander and corners him pushing him east towards Siberia and capturing him
at once.

Even before all American troops and supplies had reached Saint Petersburg, Moscow, and
Rostov, in fighting amongst Commander Votachev’s troops about whether to make the next
attack against Saint Petersburg or against Moscow, they split the revolutionaries. Troops
from Moscow easily overcame the vulnerable revolutionaries. Commander Votachev was
imprisoned, and the next step became rebuilding the seven cities razed by his armies. The
President’s top priority was to help the Russian government to reestablish communications
 between the seven Russian cities and Moscow at minimum cost.

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Acknowledgement

The author and facilitator would like to give thank to the Institute of Industrial Engineers
(IIE) for the information that was provided and used to make this project a great success.
The author also would like to give thanks to two special people Prof. Ariel D. Machin, PE
and Alexis C. Félix, ph.D for their support and insite in the project and for their advice and
unconditional support.

Reference:

Hillier & Lieberman, (2005). Introduction to Operation Research, New York, NY:
McGraw-Hill

Weida, Richardson & Vazsonyi, (2000). Operations Analysis Using Microsoft Excel,
California, CA: Pacific Grove

Richard Bronson & Govindasami Naadimuthu, (1997). Operation Research Schaum’s out
lines, New York, NY: McGraw-Hill

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