What is an Adequate Decision Support System for the Operational Level of War
Abstract
This monograph seeks to define what a Decision Support System (DSS) is to the military decision maker, suggest some evaluation criteria, and propose a sample decision making aid. It examines the current doctrinal or academic work in the arena. The definition of a DSS, as defined by this paper, is a system that contributes to decision making. this is a system that helps the military decision-maker use data (reports and observations) and modelling (wargaming) to solve unstructured problems (the fog of war and the environment of operations). The two major objectives of this DSS are to use time more efficiently, and to have better situational awareness. Civilian sources primarily contribute to what a DSS should be and provide some criteria to determine how to evaluate one. For a DSS from a military perspective, two documents come to the forefront, FM 100- 5, Operations and TRADOC Pamphlet 11-9, Blueprint of the Battlefield (Draft). These are used to establish evaluation criteria that are used to measure the effectiveness of two experimental DSSs used in the monograph cited exercises. A sample DSS is discussed. This DSS was actually used and evaluated during two exercises conducted at the School of Advanced Military Studies at Fort Leavenworth. These exercise were conducted at both the tactical and operational levels of war.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 1990
- Accession Number
- ADA234217
Entities
People
- Patrick J. Becker
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College