Combat Modeling

"Combat Modeling" is a systematic learning resource and reference text for the quantitative analysis of combat. After a brief overview, authors Washburn and Kress present individual chapters on shooting without feedback; shooting with feedback; target defense; attrition models; game theory and wargames; search; unmanned aerial vehicles; and terror and insurgency. Three appendices provide a review of basic probability concepts, probability distributions, and Markov models; an introduction to optimization models; and a discussion of Monte-Carlo simulations. Drawing on their many years of experience at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, Washburn and Kress have created a reference that will provide the tools and techniques for analysts involved in the underpinnings of combat decisions. This is a book that can be used as a military manual, reference book, and textbook for military courses on this vital subject.

• air defense
• combat decision
• combat modeling
• firing theory
• force-on-force
• game theory
• insurgency
• military manual
• minefield
• target defense
• unmanned aerial vehicles
• wargame

From the reviews:

“This is a handy guide … about the various ways in which mathematics can be applied in war. The authors are clearly well qualified in the field and write clearly and authoritatively. … The book is very well written … . outstanding and is a rich source of examples that will be of great use for students and teachers of the subject whether or not their interests are military.” (I. Graham, Journal of the Operational Research Society, Vol. 61 (10), 2010)

“This book is devoted to the analysis of multifarious combat models, which are classified into nine groups. Each chapter corresponds to one such class. The authors start with a description of commonly used assumptions, which considerably simplify examination. … requires a basic knowledge of calculus, ordinary differential equations, probability theory, stochastic processes and optimization. Each chapter ends with a number of exercises. It is nicely written and can be a valuable … reference for those who are interested in combat models.” (Anna Jaskiewicz, Zentralblatt MATH, Vol. 1184, 2010)

• Dept. Operations Research, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, U.S.A.

  Alan Washburn, Moshe Kress

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