An Evaluation of Contingency Construction Methods Using Value Focused Thinking

Rapid Engineering Deployable, Heavy Operational Repair Squadron, Engineer (RED HORSE) Squadrons are 400-person, self-contained, combat engineer units that provide deployable and flexible expert construction capability for the United States Air Force. To help meet Air Force mission requirements, RED HORSE units currently employ a variety of traditional and innovative construction methods. But their alternatives-focused decision analysis approach to method selection limits their decision to known alternatives and may not fully achieve all of their objectives. This research developed a generic value-focused thinking (VFT) decision analysis model to help RED HORSE evaluate and select contingency construction methods. Eight alternatives were generated and evaluated using the model, and Royal Building System's stay-in-place plastic formwork method achieved the highest total value score for the weights assigned to the value hierarchy. Deterministic and sensitivity analysis were performed on the value model results, and conclusions and recommendations were discussed.