Analytic Support to the Defense Science Board: Tactics and Technology for 21st Century Military Superiority

Publication Date: January 1997

Publisher: RAND Corporation

Author(s): Thomas J. Herbert; Randall Steeb; John Matsumura; Mark Lees

Research Area: Military and defense

Type: Brief

Abstract:

This documented briefing summarizes a fast-response research effort that directly supported the Defense Science Board Summer Study Task Force on Tactics and Technology for 21st Century Military Superiority. This research examined the effectiveness of small dispersed force concepts, defined by the Defense Science Board, as they might be employed on a future battlefield. RAND's Arroyo Center was one of several organizations to provide analytic support to this study. The Arroyo Center's primary contribution focused on the higher end of the threat spectrum--small dispersed forces against attacking armor--representative of an early-entry phase of a larger conflict. The authors employed a fairly extensive simulation environment to provide analytic-based assessments. Their work in this area continues to evolve as the research provides new insights and raises new questions.