The Calculus of War: The Role and Use of Quantitative Decision Aids at the Tactical Level of War

Abstract

The current command estimate process used by the U.S. Army is largely personality driven. The desires and vision of the commander serve as the primary focus of this process. While this relationship is functional for the U.S. Army, more attention needs to be given to the physical aspects of land warfare - most of which are quantifiable with simple decision aids. The thesis traces the use of quantitative decision aids through history to develop the schools of thought that impact on the issue. It then isolates several different quantitative decision aids., and then uses them in three case studies to demonstrate their utility to the tactical decision maker. Finally, the thesis explores some some problem with the current contributions of Operations Research to tactical decision making. Command estimate process, combat decision making, moral force, quantification, modeling, ORSA.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1993
Accession Number
ADA273055

Entities

People

  • Kevin B. Smith

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • C4I
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Anti-Tank Missiles
  • Birds
  • Civil War
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Doctrine
  • Geography
  • Land Warfare
  • Military History
  • Military Science
  • Operations Research
  • Personnel Management
  • Psychology
  • Second World War
  • Students
  • Warfare
  • Weapons Effects

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.