Operations other than war: Requirements for analysis tools research report

This report documents the research effort to determine the requirements for new or improved analysis tools to support decisions at the strategic and operational levels for military Operations Other than War (OOTW). The work was performed for the Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command (USCINCPAC). The data collection was based on workshops attended by experts in OOTWs: analysis personnel from each of the Combatant Commands, the Services, the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), the Joint Staff, and other knowledgeable personnel. Further data were gathered from other workshops and conferences and from the literature. The results of this research begin with the creation of a taxonomy of OOTWs: categories of operations, attributes of operations, and tasks requiring analytical support. The tasks are connected to the Joint Staff`s Universal Joint Task List (UJTL). Historical OOTWs are analyzed to produce frequency distributions by category and responsible CINC. The analysis products are synthesized into a list of requirements for analytical tools and definitions of the requirements. The report concludes with a timeline or roadmap for satisfying the requirements

Following the Principles: Case Studies in Operations Other than War, 1945-1999

In the post-World War II-era, operations other than war (OOTW) were the types of conflict most commonly faced by the United States. This term for what had previously been called by such names as small wars and low intensity conflict was incorporated in the Army’s capstone manual, Field Manual (FM) 100-5, Operations, in 1993. Field Manual 100-5 also listed objective, unity of effort, legitimacy, perseverance, restraint, and security as the six principles of OOTW. An analysis of eight OOTWs that occurred between 1945 and 1999 indicates that the balanced application of these principles is a reliable predicator of the operation’s outcome and that there is a relationship among several of the principles themselves. These findings suggest the principles of OOTW are a useful planning tool for military commanders and staffs

Analysis and Evaluation of the Macroscopic Organizational Structure of Red Horse

The primary contingency engineering capability within the United States Air Force is provided by Rapid Engineer Deployable, Heavy Operations Readiness Squadron, Engineer (RED HORSE). This thesis examines the macroscopic organizational structure of RED HORSE; that is, the manner in which RED HORSE resources (personnel and equipment) are organized collectively, above the unit (squadron or flight) level. It builds on the findings of the Air Combat Command - sponsored RED HORSE 2010 Strategic Study, and focuses on issues of geographic location and chain of command above the unit level, as the study found these two topics were found to be vital to the accomplishment of the RED HORSE mission. Working in direct cooperation with ACC, this research uses value focused thinking and multi-attribute preference theory to create a hierarchical structure depicting the goals and objectives of a qualified decision maker (ACC/CEX). The research effort generated and evaluated 20 alternatives. The decision analysis model recommends an optimal macroscopic organizational structure whereby RED HORSE units are assigned to different theater commands as the most preferred alternative. Extensive sensitivity analysis showed that the model is very reactive to changes in objective and evaluation measure weights, indicating that further research is required

Decentralizing decision making in modern military organizations

Thesis (S.M.M.O.T.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, Management of Technology Program, 2003.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 108-111).This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.For organizations, the value of information is to improve decision making. In the military in particular, information's role in warfare has always been to affect decisions at all levels -- from strategic to tactical - to put one's forces in a position of advantage. In the information age, the cost of communicating such information has been so phenomenally reduced that it now becomes possible for individuals and entire organizations to tap vast amounts of information. This thesis seeks to address the question of how the modern military can best be designed to harness the power of the information revolution to enhance its ability to make faster, better decisions and thus to become more effective in war as well as in times of peace. To do so, the thesis first considers lessons from military history on the essence of decision making, analyzes the implications of the declining cost of communications and examines new organizational trends in both the corporate world and the military. With this foundation, new organizational designs for the military are proposed and scenarios for their use are described. These new organizational designs are optimized for the information age and incorporate increasingly decentralized making structures. Noting that such formal organizational restructuring by itself is inadequate, the thesis then looks at the shifts in leadership orientation and organizational culture necessary to create the environment that encourages empowerment of individuals as well as the competencies for the individual that are becoming increasingly important in an increasingly decentralized world. Finally, a framework that synthesizes the different ingredients necessary for designing the military organization in the 21st century is proposed.by Boon Kim Tan.S.M.M.O.T

U.S. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVS) and Network Centric Warfare (NCW) impacts on combat aviation tactics from Gulf War I through 2007 Iraq

Unmanned, aerial vehicles (UAVs) are an increasingly important element of many modern militaries. Their success on battlefields in Afghanistan, Iraq, and around the globe has driven demand for a variety of types of unmanned vehicles. Their proven value consists in low risk and low cost, and their capabilities include persistent surveillance, tactical and combat reconnaissance, resilience, and dynamic re-tasking. This research evaluates past, current, and possible future operating environments for several UAV platforms to survey the changing dynamics of combat-aviation tactics and make recommendations regarding UAV employment scenarios to the Turkish military. While UAVs have already established their importance in military operations, ongoing evaluations of UAV operating environments, capabilities, technologies, concepts, and organizational issues inform the development of future systems. To what extent will UAV capabilities increasingly define tomorrow's missions, requirements, and results in surveillance and combat tactics? Integrating UAVs and concepts of operations (CONOPS) on future battlefields is an emergent science. Managing a transition from manned- to unmanned and remotely piloted aviation platforms involves new technological complexity and new aviation personnel roles, especially for combat pilots. Managing a UAV military transformation involves cultural change, which can be measured in decades.http://archive.org/details/usunmannedaerial109454211Turkish Air Force authors.Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

A taxonomy of logistics innovations

In this paper we present a taxonomy of supply chain and logistics innovations, which is based on an extensive literature survey. Our primary goal is to provide guidelines for choosing the most appropriate innovations for a company, such that the company can outrun its competitors. We investigate the factors, both internal and external to the company, that determine the applicability and effectiveness of the listed innovations. We support our suggestions with real world cases reported in literature

A Matter of Perspective: A Comparative Analysis of Field Grade and General Officer Lesson Learning

The U.S. Army that emerged from the Cold War was largely an untested one, a condition which would quickly be altered by deployments throughout the 1990s. First in Panama, then in Iraq, Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia and elsewhere, the mettle of American soldiers, quality of the army’s doctrine, and aptitude of its leaders would be tested in the crucible of combat. The results were not always flattering and often challenged officers’ perceptions of the army, foreign policy, and the nature of future combat. This thesis studies the lesson learning of field-grade and general officers in the U.S. Army during American's Small Wars of the 1990s. The purpose of this work is to identify and explain points of consensus and disagreement with and between the army’s official histories, generals’ memoirs, and professional publications of field grade officers. It is composed of three case studies in which the lessons of army officers are compared and contrasted. The first case study is an examination of the army’s involvement in the invasion of Panama. The second case study explores U.S. involvement in Somalia. The final case study investigates the army’s experience in Kosovo. It concludes that lessons learned by army officers were affected by their perspective which was a function of their generational affiliation and professional rank. Additionally, it concludes that U.S. Army’s experience during the 1990s serves as a useful analog for understanding the challenges facing today’s army. It recommends that senior army and civilian leaders should recognize that each generation has relative strengths and weaknesses to be harnessed and mitigated, and that that dissent and alternative viewpoints should be valued and encouraged – even in hierarchical organizations such as the army

Quantifying Vulnerability to Critical Infrastructure

Military and civilian leaders have the responsibility to protect our Nation\u27s critical infrastructure, communities, and symbols of American power from terrorists, home and abroad, as well as from natural disasters. To this end, assessments are conducted to reduce vulnerability. The literature offers multiple definitions of vulnerability and measurement has not been adequately addressed. Thus, the purpose of this research has been to develop and deploy a systems-based model that quantifies vulnerability to critical infrastructure. This research defines critical infrastructure vulnerability as a measure of the susceptibility of critical infrastructure to threat scenarios. Vulnerability is a function of (1) threat scenario, (2) protection and (3) importance. Critical infrastructure vulnerability is measured by a system\u27s (1) deterrence, (2) detection, (3) delay and (4) response capabilities. Importance implies that some subsystems are more critical to overall system performance than other subsystems. A value model was used as the logic construct for quantifying vulnerability. Subject-matter experts were queried to establish the shapes of value functions and importance (weights) in the model. Another set of subject-matter experts are queried to assess a notional clean water system with respect to each protection measure within the vulnerability value model. To accomplish this, two simulations are executed in the model. The first simulation aggregates expert assessments into one assessment. The results are then used as inputs into the vulnerability value portion of the model for use in the second simulation where vulnerability is quantified. Results of this research demonstrate that vulnerability can be quantified and that quantifying vulnerability is useful to decision-makers who prefer quantification to qualitative treatment of vulnerability. This research is a novel contribution to the body of scholarly work by: (1) providing a rigorous method to quantify vulnerability to critical infrastructure, (2) introducing the theory of vulnerability, and (3) specifying the theoretical relationship between risk and vulnerability. Subject matter experts conclude that there is value in the approach put forward in this body of research as it is applied to clean water systems, so it may be useful in other critical infrastructures. The research closes with directions for further research