THE DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE OF "OPTIMUM" BLAST SHELTER PROGRAMS
Abstract
The paper develops a mathematical model from which the cost of a national blast shelter program for the 213 urbanized areas of the U.S. can be calculated, and from which the effectiveness of the program in providing blast protection for the urban citizens can be quickly found. The paper, by utilizing the idea of equalizing the value of all urban areas as targets (from the enemy point of view), (a) denies the enemy any preferred targets, from the point of view of population mortalities, and (b) provides an important kind of equality of population vulnerability among the urban areas. For any given budget the funds spent for protecting a citizen in a more congested area would be somewhat greater than for those in less congested areas which, normally, would be a less likely target. From a national point of view, it is believed that the design has the advantage of minimizing the number of blast fatalities which an enemy can achieve, and thereby can contribute to the reduction of national vulnerability. To a large extent the design is independent of the size and nature of the assumed attack, although this is less true of the later refinements which involve the use of partial dispersal and crowding.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 11, 1964
- Accession Number
- AD0602850
Entities
People
- William M. Brown