The following articles present a mathematical solution to the problem of determining an optimal attack, i.e., an attack (allocation of weapons to targets) that maximizes a specified "payoff" function. The payoff function may be expected damage to a set of targets (e.g., population killed, targets destroyed) or any other target-related characteristic (e.g., commercial energy capacity destroyed, biodiversity threat reduction). If a defense is present (e.g., the attacker uses ballistic missiles and the defender has a national missile defense system in place), the defense is also optimized (to minimize the payoff function.
The complexity of the problem varies, depending on how much detail is considered, and on whether some form of defense is involved. The "no-defense" case applies, for example, to the use of a "suitcase-bomb" attack, or a missile attack against an enemy having no missile defense.
The optimal attacks used in Can America Survive? are special cases of Case 1 below.
Case 1. Optimal Attack in the Case of No Defense (suitcase-bomb attacks, missile attacks against an undefended enemy). Click here for .htm file, here for .pdf file.
Case 2. Optimal Attack/Defense in the Case of Terminal Interceptors. Click here for .htm file, here for .pdf file.
Case 3. Optimal Attack/Defense in the Case of Area Interceptors. Click here for .htm file, here for .pdf file.
Case 4. General-Sum Game-Theoretic Approach to Warfare. Click here for .htm file, here for .pdf file.
FndID(167)
FndTitle(Optimal Warfare Strategies)
FndDescription(The following articles present a mathematical solution to the problem of determining an optimal attack, i.e., an attack (allocation of weapons to targets) that maximizes a specified "payoff" function.)
FndKeywords(optimal attack; optimal defense; resource-constrained optimization; generalized lagrange multiplliers; game theory; resource-constrained games)