Maximizing Strike Planning Efficiency for a Given Class of Targets

Strike planning is one of the fundamental tasks of the Turkish Air Force and involves assignment of strike aircraft to targets with a maximum level of efficiency. Therefore, planning an optimal strike plan based on the preferences of the decision maker is crucial. The efficiency of the strike plan in this research implies attacking the maximum number of targets while considering target priority and the desired level of damage on each target. Another objective is to minimize the cost of the plan. This research develops an exact model that maximizes the efficiency of the strike plan using LINGO with Excel Spreadsheets. Given this efficiency, the aircraft and weapon costs plus the distance own is minimized while maintaining efficiency. The model also takes into account the aircraft and weapon capacities for particular types at each base to avoid assigning aircraft to targets from a base where there is an insufficient resource in terms of the aircraft and weapon capacity. The results show that the model developed in this research provides a great deal of cost saving (i.e., approximately 50 %) for a strike plan compared to a strike plan which does not consider the total cost

Game Assessment For Miltary Application

The primary purpose of conducting this research was to establish game assessment guidelines and characteristics for integrating elected characteristics of games into ongoing instructional approaches. The cost of repurposing commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) games could offer a considerably lower cost alternative than the cost of creating a new instructional game developed for a specific instructional goal. The McNeese Game Assessment Tool (MGAT), created for the assessment of games in this usability study, is currently in a beta stage and was found to have potential for future game assessment. The overall assessment indicated that the tool was effective in analyzing game products for reuse potential and that the five instruments that make up the tool did meet the purpose of the design. However, the study also indicated that the instruments needed recommended modifications and further testing with a larger population group before the tool could be utilized. The assessment process identified in this study was a step forward in the area of game and simulation integration research. This study indicated that more research is needed in the area of instructional design to enhance instructional integration goals for future game, simulation and training applications

OPERATIONAL PLANNING AND OPTIMIZATION OF SMALL DOMAIN SWARM DEFENSE STRATEGIES

This thesis considers the case of a drone defending a high-value target from a number of inbound attacking drones. The defending drone is equipped with short-range weapons and must destroy each of the attacking drones in the most efficient manner. This problem sits at the intersection of several open problems in applied mathematics, such as optimal motion planning in the presence of attrition, as well as solving a “traveling salesman problem” (TSP) with moving targets. The purpose of our research was to analyze this problem by decomposing it into the component problems and then presenting proof-of-concept solutions of each component. The primary results of this thesis include a modeling framework where optimization can be performed without requiring constraints; comparing the strengths of using different types of cost functions for optimization (e.g., minimizing the chance of high-value unit destruction versus a metric based on the path of the defender relative to attackers); and solving moving-target TSP in certain limits by mapping it onto standard TSP or using machine learning.Cruiser/ONRMajor, United States Marine CorpsApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE-ENABLED MULTI-MISSION RESOURCE ALLOCATION TACTICAL DECISION AID

The Department of Defense supports many military platforms that execute multiple missions simultaneously. Platforms such as watercraft, aircraft, and land convoys support multiple missions over domains such as air and missile defense, anti-submarine warfare, strike operations, fires in support of ground operations, intelligence sensing and reconnaissance. However, major challenges to the human decision-maker exist in allocating these multi-mission resources such as the growth in battle-tempo, scale, and complexity of available platforms. This capstone study seeks to apply systems engineering to analyze the multi-mission resource allocation (MMRA) problem set to further enable artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning tools to aid human decision-makers for initial and dynamic re-planning. To approach this problem, the study characterizes inputs and outputs of a potential MMRA process, then analyzes the scalability and complexity across three unique use cases: directed energy convoy protection, aviation support, and a carrier strike group. The critical findings of these diverse use cases were then assessed for similarities and differences to further understand commonalities for a joint AI-enabled MMRA tool.Civilian, Department of the ArmyCivilian, Department of the ArmyCivilian, Department of the NavyApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

The 1970-74 combat aircraft analysis : priority to defensive counter air and anti-shipping operations : how optimizing defence resources altered the use of RNoAF fighters

Abstract available: p. 3

Military Experimentation

The Pentagon cannot afford to “think rich,” and it cannot afford to proceed with a modernization program oriented to meeting only today’s challenges. Yet the Pentagon may be doing precisely that. It must determine the mix of systems required to operate effectively against future threats; experimentation provides an indispensable means for answering questions about those threats

Theater Ballistic Missile Defense From the Sea

A sense of urgency informs Theater Ballistic Missile Defense from the Sea: Issues for the Maritime Component Commander. Theater ballistic missiles armed with chemical, biological, or nuclear Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) will be acquired and deployed by hostile forces in the developing world, posing an imminent threat to the us. and coalition forces that must operate in that world. The gravity of this evolving threat is recognized in our national military strategy.https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/usnwc-newport-papers/1012/thumbnail.jp

Country Report: South Korea; Defense Reform and Force Enhancement Plans

The Republic of Korea (ROK, South Korea) is facing 'omni-directional' threats, including a risk of war with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK, North Korea). South Korea is building up an appropriate level of military force to be able to counter threats from any direction across regions and operational domains. In addition, the ROK Armed Forces are eager to contribute to a mutually complementary and robust ROK-US alliance to strengthen deterrence and territorial defense. At the same time, South Korea aims to bolster its role on the international stage by increasing its contributions to overseas deployments and out-of-area operations. It actively supports global responses against threats to the international norms and order. In South Korea, the idea that the two goals of national- and international-oriented security are complementary enjoys very broad support

The Strategic Level Optimization of Air to Ground Missiles for Turkish Air Force Decision Support System

Inventory Management is one of the most important elements in military systems, especially if it is an ammunition inventory. To determine the optimum types and levels of ammunition a military needs, the probable needs of each type have to be calculated in peace time. Although the Turkish Air Force has Strategic Plans that show detailed potential war scenarios, there are many different ways to accomplish a war mission depending on the type of ammunition that is used. In this research, the need for air-to-ground missiles is calculated using a Weapon-Target Assignment algorithm with cost minimization, bomb usage minimization, and effect maximization objectives. The model calculates different combinations of bombs for each objective and shows the main tradeoffs between many cheap dumb bombs and a few expensive smart bombs, the total cost of the operation, and the total effects of the operation on targets using the current inventory. The preferences of Decision Makers will shape this inventory based on these tradeoffs. To aid in the modeling, the number of strategies that can be created with the inventory is calculated using multinomial theory

Optimization of Airfield Parking and Fuel Asset Dispersal to Maximize Survivability and Mission Capability Level

While the US focus for the majority of the past two decades has been on combatting insurgency and promoting stability in Southwest Asia, strategic focus is beginning to shift toward concerns of conflict with a near-peer state. Such conflict brings with it the risk of ballistic missile attack on air bases. With 26 conflicts worldwide in the past 100 years including attacks on air bases, new doctrine and modeling capacity are needed to enable the Department of Defense to continue use of vulnerable bases during conflict involving ballistic missiles. Several models have been developed to date for Air Force strategic planning use, but these models have limited use on a tactical level or for civil engineer use. This thesis presents the development of a novel model capable of identifying base layout characteristics for aprons and fuel depots to maximize dispersal and minimize impact on sortie generation times during normal operations. This model is implemented using multi-objective genetic algorithms to identify solutions that provide optimal tradeoffs between competing objectives and is assessed using an application example. These capabilities are expected to assist military engineers in the layout of parking plans and fuel depots that ensure maximum resilience while providing minimal impact to the user while enabling continued sortie generation in a contested region