A CRITIQUE OF ANALYTIC, WAR GAMING AS AN AID TO THE MILITARY DECISIONMAKER

Abstract

In the modern analytic war game, a military situation is simulated by describing the conflict in a mathematical model and carrying out the 'play' of the game by computer. The traditional methods of tactical analysis are blended with the relatively new methods of mathematical simulation. This thesis has been written with the purpose of familiarizing the military officer with this new and promising analytic tool. Internal features of the game, which should be understood and appreciated by the military beneficiary of war game results, are examined. These include mathematical approximations, assumptions, and simulated decisions using the Monte Carlo technique. Some guidelines are suggested to assist the user in determining the meaning and relevancy of war game results. The objectives, appropriate uses, advantages and disadvantages of this analytic technique are discussed from the point of view of the game's usefulness to the military decisionmaker.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1964
Accession Number
AD0483001

Entities

People

  • Robert A. Mccaffery

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aircrafts
  • Computational Science
  • Computer Simulations
  • Computers
  • Fleet Exercises
  • Game Theory
  • Mathematical Analysis
  • Mathematical Models
  • Military Exercises
  • Military Planning
  • Military Tactics
  • Monte Carlo Method
  • Operations Research
  • Probability Distributions
  • Regression Analysis
  • Tactical Training
  • War Games

Readers

  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Systems Analysis and Design
  • Team-Based Human-Centered Cognitive Task Decision Making and Information Performance.