Operations Research (OR) emerged in an effort to improve the effectiveness of newly inducted weapons and equipment during World War II. While rapid growth ofOR led to its becoming an important aid to decision making in all sectors including defense, its contribution in defense remained largely confined to classified reports. Very few books dealing with applications of quantitative decision making techniques in military have been published presumably due to limited availability ofrelevant information. The situation changed rapidly during the last few years. The recognition of the subject of Military Operations Research (MOR) gave tremendous boost to its development. Books and journals on MOR started appearing. The number of sessions on MOR at national and international conferences also registered an increase. The volume of teaching, training and research activities in the field of MOR at military schools and non-military schools enhanced considerably. Military executives and commanders started taking increasing interest in getting scientific answers to questions pertaining to weapon acquisition, threat perception and quantification, assessment of damage or casualties, evaluation of chance of winning a battle, force mix, deployment and targeting of weapons against enemy targets, war games and scenario evaluation. Most of these problems were being tackled on the basis of intuition, judgment and experience or analysis under very simple assumptions. In an increasingly sophisticated and complex defense scenario resulting in advances in equipment and communications, the need for supplementing these practices by scientific research in MOR became imperative.

The study of operations research arose during World War II to enhance the effectiveness of weapons and equipment used on the battlefield. Since then, operations research techniques have also been used to solve several sophisticated and complex defense-related problems. Operations Research for Military Organizations is a critical scholarly resource that examines the issues that have an impact on aspects of contemporary quantitative applications of operations research methods in the military. It also addresses innovative applications, techniques, and methodologies to assist in solving defense and military-related problems. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics such as combat planning, tactical decision aids, and weapon system simulations, this book is geared towards defense contractors, military consultants, military personnel, policy makers, and government departments seeking current research on defense methodologies.

This book explores the theoretical foundations and applications of military operational logistics (OpLog). OpLog theory has two facets: qualitative and quantitative.The qualitative facet is imbedded in the theory of operational level of war or operational art. It includes principles, imperatives and tenets, which are stated and analyzed in the first few chapters. The quantitative facet relates to the scientific aspects of OpLog. It is manifested by formal network models representing structural and operational features of an OpLog system. The book examines the two facets and integrates them into a unified presentation. Important OpLog applications a re described and discussed. Chapter 1 presents a general introduction to military logistics. Chapter 2 discusses the px;font-family: monospace;">general structure and characteristics of logistics and describes its three levels – strategic, operational and tactical. Chapter 3 describes the foundation of OpLog. Chapter 4 deals with OpLog planning. Chapter 5 addresses the issue of logistic information, and Chapter 6 deals with forecasting logistic demands. Chapters 7 and 8 are new additions to this second edition. They address logistics aspects of two contemporary operational topics – insurgencies and humanitarian assistance.Chapter 9 describes the first version of the logistic network model. Chapter 10 addresses an important OpLog characteristic – Flexibility. Chapter 11 discusses two major challenges in OpLog practice: force accumulation, 4419px; font-family: monospace;">and medical treatment and evacuation. Chapter 12 presents an inter-temporal network optimization model designed to determine deployment and employment of 3333px;font-family: monospace;">the OpLog support chain during military operations.