Authors: Snodgrass, Anthony W.; Gallagher, Mark A.; McIntyre, Gregory A.

Source: Military Operations Research, Volume 9, Number 1, 2004 , pp. 19-32(14)

Publisher: Military Operations Research Society

Abstract:

Incorporating all the necessary relationships to assess strategic effects in combat models is extremely difficult. The difficulties include insufficient knowledge of the precise interactions among model entities and the inability to incorporate a combinatorially-challenging number of interfaces in a combat model. We propose implementing a Leontief input-output model as a metamodel as an efficient means of incorporating missing interactions in a combat model. Using Leontief's macroeconomic framework, we define combat units and functional support units as interrelated sectors in a military system. The metamodel periodically assesses the combat model resources and solves a linear program to determine if sufficient supporting resources are available. If necessary support is lacking for one or more units, the metamodel assesses the direct and indirect impacts to all units and incorporates appropriate degrades into the combat model. We demonstrate the proposal by implementing interactions that were not previously modeled between strategic targets and ground combat units in an Air Force campaign model. We show that we can account for important interactions that are not directly represented, allowing a better assessment of an attack's strategic implications.

Keywords: Input-Output Analysis; Metamodels; Strategic Effects; Effects-Based Operations; Application Areas: Joint Campaign Analysis; Application Areas: Strategic Attack; Application Areas: Centers of Gravity; Application Areas: Effects-Based Operations; OR Methodologies: Input-Output Model; OR Methodologies: Linear Programming; OR Methodologies: Simulation

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5711/morj.9.1.19

Publication date: 2004-12-01

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