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

摘要

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.