As a rapidly deployable force with air, ground, naval, and amphibious components, a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) is tasked with a variety of missions and must have both the right personnel and the right equipment to accomplish them. A critical component of mission accomplishment is the MEU's ability to access equipment deemed necessary to accomplish all tasks associated with the mission. However, in many cases, the Navy's lift capacity falls short. As a result, when the MEU departs, some equipment is left behind. There are several factors that may affect what equipment ultimately ends up aboard the ship and what equipment remains behind: (1) the risk preferences of the commander; (2) expectations about the nature of the deployment; (3) guidance or direction from combatant commanders to be supported; and (4) equipment readiness and repair schedules. What is the impact of this shortfall on the MEU's ability to complete all the tasks associated with the missionEven if the shortfalls do not prevent the MEU from accomplishing its mission, and even if the MEU may receive supplemental support from other sources, equipment shortfalls do affect mission performance and efficiency.

"To successfully accomplish their missions, Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs) must have both the right personnel and the right equipment, as well as access to the personnel and equipment. However, in many cases, the available space on an MEU's ships falls far short of what is needed to transport the full set of required equipment. Thus, the MEU commander must determine which equipment to take and which to leave behind. What is the impact of this shortfall on the MEU's ability to complete the tasks associated with its mission? One way to identify the equipment and number of units needed for a given MEU mission is to deconstruct that mission into its component tasks and subtasks and then determine the equipment needed to complete each task. The process also involves prioritizing equipment based on its capabilities, as well as identifying the sequencing of equipment use and overlaps between tasks that require the same equipment. To assist commanders in making these difficult decisions in the context of limited equipment inventories, a RAND team developed a software tool, the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) Equipment Structural Assessment (MESA) application. The tool guides users through the decisionmaking process by comparing mission task needs to available equipment and allowing full customization of the mission timeline, component tasks and subtasks, sequencing, available equipment, and equipment and activity prioritization preferences. The application, still in development, currently features full functionality for a single MEU mission type: humanitarian assistance. However, future versions will include a set of 15 missions. This report includes a user's guide for the MESA application with step-by-step instructions for populating and modifying the tool to support mission needs."--Back cover.