scholarly journals Computer Assisted Wargame for Military Capability-Based Planning

Entropy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (8) ◽  
pp. 861
Author(s):  
Jan Hodický ◽  
Dalibor Procházka ◽  
Fabian Baxa ◽  
Josef Melichar ◽  
Milan Krejčík ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Expert System ◽  
Order Effects ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Operational Environment ◽  
Capability Development ◽  
Budget Cuts ◽  
Military Capability ◽  
Computer Assistance ◽  
Qualitative Technique ◽  
The Military

Capability-based planning as an approach to defense planning is an almost infinitely complex engineered system with countless nodes and layers of interdependency, influenced by state and non-state diplomatic activities, information, military and economic actions creating secondary and third order effects. The main output of capability-based planning is the set of capability requirements needed to achieve the expected end-state. One revitalized qualitative technique that allows us to gain insights into unstructured and fuzzy problems in the military is wargaming—in its simplest form this involves manual wargaming. At the same time, there has been a push to bring computer assistance to such wargaming, especially to support umpire adjudication and move more generally towards full automation of human elements in wargames. However, computer assistance in wargaming should not be pushed, regardless of cost, towards quantitative techniques. The objective complexity of a problem often does not allow us to replicate the operational environment with the required fidelity to get credible experimental results. This paper discusses a discovery experiment aiming to verify the concept of applying a qualitative expert system within computer assisted wargaming for developing capability requirements in order to reduce umpire bias and risk associated with their decisions. The innovation here lies in applying system dynamics modelling and simulation paradigms when designing the theoretical model of capability development, which forms the core of the expert system. This new approach enables qualitative comparisons between different sets of proposed capability requirements. Moreover, the expert system allows us to reveal the effects of budget cuts on proposed capability requirement solutions, which the umpire was previously unable to articulate when comparing individual solutions by relying solely on his own knowledge. Players in the wargame validated the proposed concept and suggested how the study might be developed going forward: namely, by enabling users to define their own capabilities and not being limited by a predefined set of capabilities.

scholarly journals Wargaming and Challenges in the Experimentation Domain

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 144-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Hodicky
Keyword(s):  
Complex Problem ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Military Capability ◽  
Related Risk ◽  
Powerful Approach ◽  
Proper Design ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Military

Abstract Military domain lacks the sufficient funding. It becomes extremely critical investing into the right projects that will deliver the expected outcome in the acquisition phase from the medium and long term perspective. The Concept Development and Experimentation (CD&E) is a powerful approach to reduce the related risk if it is consistently applied. Wargaming is a method that is used in the military to get insight about the examined phenomena when employing the military decision making process. The article deals with the role of wargaming in the CD&E. The second part of the article describes the architecture of wargame, main constructs, phases and critical factors of its design. The last part of the article describes the proposed Case Study of the Computer Assisted Wargaming (CAW) to be used for the complex problem like military capability planning and risk reduction under the specified uncertainty. Uncertainty is reduced by proper Design of Experiment when the CAW plays the crucial role.

The Effect of Changes to Question Order on the Prevalence of ‘Sufficient’ Physical Activity in an Australian Population Survey

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 390-396
Author(s):  
Christine Hanley ◽  
Mitch J. Duncan ◽  
W. Kerry Mummery
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression ◽  
Total Activity ◽  
Order Effects ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Moderate Activity ◽  
Question Order ◽  
Recreational Walking ◽  
Cati Survey ◽  
The Impact

Background:Population surveys are frequently used to assess prevalence, correlates and health benefits of physical activity. However, nonsampling errors, such as question order effects, in surveys may lead to imprecision in self reported physical activity. This study examined the impact of modified question order in a commonly used physical activity questionnaire on the prevalence of sufficient physical activity.Methods:Data were obtained from a telephone survey of adults living in Queensland, Australia. A total of 1243 adults participated in the computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI) survey conducted in July 2008 which included the Active Australia Questionnaire (AAQ) presented in traditional or modified order. Binary logistic regression analyses was used to examine relationships between question order and physical activity outcomes.Results:Significant relationships were found between question order and sufficient activity, recreational walking, moderate activity, vigorous activity, and total activity. Respondents who received the AAQ in modified order were more likely to be categorized as sufficiently active (OR = 1.28, 95% CI 1.01−1.60).Conclusions:This study highlights the importance of question order on estimates of self reported physical activity. This study has shown that changes in question order can lead to an increase in the proportion of participants classified as sufficiently active.

Computer-assisted database indexing: the state-of-the-art

1994 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-27
Author(s):  
Gail M. Hodge
Keyword(s):  
Data Base ◽  
Production System ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
The State ◽  
Computer Support ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Computer Assistance ◽  
The Future ◽  
Database Indexing ◽  
Operational Systems

Discusses the state-of-the-art in computer indexing, defines indexing and computer assistance, describes the reasons for renewed interest, identifies the types of computer support in use using selected operational systems, describes the integration of various computer supports in one data base production system, and speculates on the future.

Anthropology in Security Science

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 22-31
Author(s):  
Katarina Stolarikova
Keyword(s):  
Social Relations ◽  
Cultural Anthropology ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Security Studies ◽  
Operational Environment ◽  
Proper Understanding ◽  
Human Use ◽  
The Military ◽  
Security Science ◽  
Effective Source

Security is in general closely linked to any activity of individuals and society as a whole, and bound to social relations, which are always decisive in shaping the security strategies of individual states. Security is one of the most important values of society and culture. Security and conflict resolution should be an object of the interdisciplinary approach. Socio-cultural anthropology applied in security studies is a valuable and effective source of knowledge protecting all actors. Only with a proper understanding of the operational environment with its variables and elements, it is possible to assure effective and human use of power and military decision-making tools and methods. While this paper brings the ideas of many authors, sociocultural anthropology is not that widely used in the military.

scholarly journals Operationalising resilience for disaster medicine practitioners: capability development through training, simulation and reflection

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 667-683
Author(s):  
Jonas Hermelin ◽  
Kristofer Bengtsson ◽  
Rogier Woltjer ◽  
Jiri Trnka ◽  
Mirko Thorstensson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Safety Management ◽  
Critical Infrastructure ◽  
Disaster Medicine ◽  
Development Programme ◽  
The Body ◽  
Operational Environment ◽  
Capability Development ◽  
Educational Training

Abstract Resilience has in recent decades been introduced as a term describing a new perspective within the domains of disaster management and safety management. Several theoretical interpretations and definitions of the essence of resilience have been proposed, but less work has described how to operationalise resilience and implement the concept within organisations. This case study describes the implementation of a set of general resilience management guidelines for critical infrastructure within a Swedish Regional Medical Command and Control Team. The case study demonstrates how domain-independent guidelines can be contextualised and introduced at an operational level, through a comprehensive capability development programme. It also demonstrates how a set of conceptual and reflective tools consisting of educational, training and exercise sessions of increasing complexity and realism can be used to move from high-level guidelines to practice. The experience from the case study demonstrates the value of combining (1) developmental learning of practitioners’ cognitive skills through resilience-oriented reflection and interaction with dynamic complex open-ended problems; (2) contextualisation of generic guidelines as a basis for operational methodological support in the operational environment; and (3) the use of simulation-based training as part of a capability development programme with increasing complexity and realism across mixed educational, training and exercise sessions. As an actual example of a resilience implementation effort in a disaster medicine management organisation, the study contributes to the body of knowledge regarding how to implement the concept of resilience in operational practice.

A Quantitative Comparison of SSA Interviewing Activities with and without Computer Assistance

1979 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 581-585 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas G. Hoecker ◽  
Richard W. Pew
Keyword(s):  
Process Condition ◽  
Data Entry ◽  
System Response ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Social Security Administration ◽  
Additional Time ◽  
Computer Data ◽  
Computer Assistance ◽  
Cent Increase ◽  
Time Required

The purpose of the reported experiments was to learn the effects of different forms of computer assistance on the performance of field personnel of the Social Security Administration as they interview potential beneficiaries. Twenty-four subjects, twelve qualified in each of two interviewer positions, learned to operate different interfaces (labelled Systems W, P, and T) that simulated interaction with computer data-handling systems. They then conducted simulated interviews with each other, during which predefined categories of interviewer activity were sampled at 15-second intervals. Results showed that for the interviews simulated and regardless of the systems tested, computer-assisted interviews lasted more than 4 minutes longer on the average than did conventional paper-process interviews. This was a 97 per cent increase for two short interviews that averaged 4.7 minutes in the paper-process condition, and a 27 per cent increase for a moderately long interview that averaged 20.2 minutes in that condition. The additional time required for computer-assisted interviews was primarily due to two factors: (1) time spent waiting for a response from the terminal, and (2) more time being required for data entry (i.e., keyboarding) in the computer-assisted process than for its analog (i.e., writing plus handling) in the paper-forms process. These data point in some initial directions for optimizing person/machine system performance in this context, for example by controlling system response delays at different levels of interaction. Further, these data, in combination with other data developed by SSA, provide a means for attaching dollar values to particular system and interface configurations.

The concept of trust in disasters: the Slovenian experience

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 603-615
Author(s):  
Marjan Malesic
Keyword(s):  
Disaster Response ◽  
Simple Random Sampling ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Small Areas ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Military

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the level of public trust in disaster response actors, i.e. the government, civilian disaster response institutions, the military, NGOs and the media. Design/methodology/approach The data source is the 2015–2016 Slovenian Public Opinion Survey, which used face-to-face interviews (computer-assisted personal interviewing software), and a standardised instrument (questionnaire). A two-stage probability sampling design with stratification at the first stage was applied. The first stage involved a probability proportional to size selection of 150 small areas (statistical areas), where the size measurement was a the number of adult persons in the Central Population Register. The second stage involved the simple random sampling of 12 persons from each of the 150 primary sampling units. A total of 1,024 adult residents participated in the survey. Findings The findings suggest that trust in the government under normal situations is low; however, it becomes slightly higher during disaster conditions. Civilian disaster response institutions (especially firemen and civil protection), the military and NGOs (humanitarian and other volunteer organisations) are highly trusted before and during disasters. Trust in the authorities and media to inform the public in a timely and comprehensive manner about the disaster is also relatively high. Research limitations/implications Perhaps in another period of research, disaster-related experiences of the population might be different, which could certainly change the survey results about trust. Nevertheless, the main finding that low pre-disaster trust can be recovered during a disaster by adequate performance of the institution is not jeopardised. Originality/value The survey results are original.

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