THE WEAPON PLANNING PROBLEM FOR GENERAL PURPOSE FORCES: A FUNCTIONAL APPROACH,
Abstract
This Memorandum suggests a technique to relate equipment to operational needs so that the enumeration of hardware alternatives for general purpose forces is facilitated. There are two basic steps in this functional approach: (1) Enumeration of missions and definition of systems to perform each emission at any desired time point. (2) Development of a set of hyperthetical contingency plans representative of the wide variation of operational conditions faced by general purpose forces. The use of flow charts for (1) and equipment lists for (2) is discussed for United States forces. The essence of the approach is the fusing of (1) and (2) to permit the display of system alternatives. Applications to hypothetical decision problems are discussed to illustrate the possibilities and limitations of the technique. Flow charts are also developed for S. Viet Nam forces to indicate its potential value in the consideration of alternatives in the Military Assistance Program. Finally the next logical step in the determination of feasibility of the approach is described. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1962
- Accession Number
- AD0414817
Entities
People
- Harold A. Linstone
Organizations
- RAND Corporation