Taylor James G. Application of differential games to problems of military conflict: tactical allocation problems, Part III - appendices C and D

Monterey, California: U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, 1974. — 128 p.The mathematical theory of differential games is used to study the structure of optimal allocation strategies for some time-sequential combat games with combat described by Lanchester-type equations of warfare. Several specific problems for the determination of optimal time-sequential fire distribution strategies for supporting weapon systems are studied. Optimal air-war strategies are studied within the context of land-war objectives and compared to those for a model which does not explicitly consider the ground war. Several differential game models are used to study optimal fire-support strategies in an attack scenario. For an existing differential game fire-support model we determine for what class of criterion functionals (i.e., objectives) the optimal fire-support strategies are independent of force levels. In a similar differential game we examine the dependence of optimal fire-support strategies upon the functional form of the combat attrition model by considering slightly different combat dynamics. Some relatively new theoretical developments are required for the complete solution of this latter problem. Previous analytic work in the field of determination of optimal fire-support strategies is reviewed.