Strategic Air Transportation Management in Military Operations Other Than War (MOOTW): Enhancing Archipelagic Resilience

Purpose: This study analyzes the role of air transportation management in supporting Military Operations Other Than War (MOOTW) and strengthening national defense readiness in Indonesia through a Systematic Literature Review (SLR).

Research Methodology: This study employs a qualitative Systematic Literature Review (SLR) methodology guided by PRISMA principles, analyzing 30 scholarly contributions from 2009 to 2025, including international peer-reviewed journals, Routledge and Springer volumes, arXiv preprints, and Indonesian academic publications.

Results: The results highlight that strategic air transportation is indispensable for disaster relief, medical evacuation, and supply delivery in archipelagic nations. The adoption of AI, machine learning, UAVs, and reinforcement learning has enhanced the responsiveness and equity of humanitarian supply chains. However, persistent challenges include aging fleets, interoperability constraints and fragmented civil–military coordination.

Conclusions: Strategic air transportation management is vital for Military Operations Other Than War (MOOTW) in Indonesia, ensuring rapid humanitarian response, territorial defense, and civil–military cooperation. Integration of AI, machine learning, and UAV technologies enhances efficiency, while modernization of fleets and stronger interagency frameworks maintain archipelagic resilience.

Limitations: The study is limited by its reliance on secondary literature and SLR methodology, which may not capture real-time operational challenges or classified military data. Empirical validation in field operations would strengthen the generalizability of findings.

Contributions: This article bridges global research on data-driven air power with Indonesian defense perspectives, offering a policy-oriented framework for improving strategic air transportation in MOOTW. It highlights the role of technological innovations, civil–military coordination, and resilience-oriented strategies in archipelagic defense.