A BEGINNING TO COST-EFFECTIVENESS ANALYSIS,

Abstract

This short paper describes a method of costeffectiveness analysis developed to evaluate specific items of Army equipment in mathematical terms, as part of the larger problem of optimum allocation of resources. The medium (now 'main') battle tank was selected as the leading item on a list of Army equipment chosen for ''criticality in combat.'' A linear programming model for the Univac Scientific 1103A computer was set up to solve the problems of maximum combat effectiveness subject to dollar constraints and minimum cost subject to maintaining selected levels of combat effectiveness. Comparative combat effectiveness of US and enemy forces was considered to be the product of ratios of rates of fire, probabilities of hit, and probabilities of kill, given hit. Later, weighting procedures allowed consideration of other factors. The area that gave the greatest difficulty (and that requires the most future research) is that of measures of effectiveness. That difficulty, plus the application of a simplified programming model, qualifies the study's product as illustrative rather than factual. (Author)

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 01, 1963
Accession Number
AD0422374

Entities

People

  • Eugene P. Visco

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Army Equipment
  • Battles
  • Combat Effectiveness
  • Computer Programming
  • Computers
  • Cost Effectiveness
  • Costs
  • Linear Programming
  • Mathematics
  • Measures Of Effectiveness
  • Operations Research
  • Probability
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Instructional Design and Training Evaluation.
  • Life Cycle Cost Analysis
  • Operations Research