2nd Edition
Handbook of Military and Defense Operations Research
Tracing its roots back to World War II, Operations Research (OR) has become a vital tool in military and defense strategy. The second edition of the Handbook of Military and Defense Operations Research highlights this evolution, showcasing how OR integrates with cutting-edge areas like artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and big data analytics.
This edition is more than a historical account; it is a practical guide. The volume features expert voices and offers insights into OR applications in modern security challenges. Readers will discover a blend of theory and real-world case studies, making it an essential resource for both newcomers and seasoned defense analysis professionals.
Dive into this handbook to explore the rich, dynamic field of military and defense operations research, a discipline at the heart of global security and strategic decision-making.
New to the second edition:
- Re-organized into a three-part structure.
- Extensive revisions throughout.
- Numerous new exercises, examples, and case studies.
- Several new chapters.
Part I. Approaches
Chapter 1. Modern Data Analytics for the Military Operations Researcher
Raymond R. Hill
Chapter 2. Microsoft Excel: The Universal Tool of Analysis
Joseph M. Lindquist and Charles A. Sulewski
Chapter 3. Military Decision Analysis
Roger Chapman Burk
Chapter 4. Military Workforce Planning and Modeling
Nathaniel D. Bastian and Andrew O. Hall
Chapter 5. Military Assessments
Lynette Arnhart and Marvin King
Chapter 6. Threatcasting in a Military Setting
Natalie Vanatta and Brian David Johnson
Chapter 7. Analytical Modeling of Stochastic Systems
Roger Chapman Burk
Chapter 8. Modern Methods for Characterization of Social Networks Through Network Models
Christine M. Schubert Kabban, Fairul Mohd-Zaid, and Richard F. Deckro
Chapter 9. Process Optimization Through Structured Problem Solving
David M. Bernacki, Robert E. Hamm, Jr., and Hung-da Wan
Chapter 10. Simulation Optimization
Shane N. Hall, Brian M. Wade, and Benjamin G. Thengvall
Chapter 11. Analytical Test Planning for Defense Acquisitions
Darryl K. Ahner and Gina Sigler
Chapter 12: Influence Diagrams for Risk Management in Military and Defense
Cameron MacKenzie
Chapter 13. Wavelet Methods for Time Series Forecasting
Jared Nystrom, Raymond R. Hill, Andrew Geyer, Joseph Pignatiello, Jr., and Eric Chicken
Chapter 14. Simulation Validation Literature Review
Matthew C. Ledwith, Raymond R. Hill, Lance Champagne, and Edward White
Part II. Applications
15. A Model for and Inventory of Cybersecurity Values: Metrics and Best Practices
Natalie M. Scala and Paul L. Goethals
Chapter 16. Applying Information Theory to Validate Commanders’ Critical Information Requirements
Mark A. C. Timms, David R. Mandel, and Jonathan D. Nelson
Chapter 17. Modeling and Analysis of Army’s Sustainable Readiness Model Scheduling Problem
Adria Markowski and Subhash Sarin
Chapter 18. Applying High Performance Computing Analytics for Understanding Weather Impacts on Installations
Randy Buchanan, John Richards, Hyeyon Bastian, Brendon Hoch, Christina Rinaudo, and Natalie Myers
Part III. Soft Skills and Perspective
Chapter 19. Why Won’t They Use Our Model?
Wilson L. Price and Walt DeGrange
Chapter 20. Lessons Learned from Military Fast Jet Life Support System Test Planning
Sarah Burke and Steven Thorsen
Biography
Natalie M. Scala is an associate professor and director of the graduate programs in supply chain management in the College of Business and Economics at Towson University. She earned Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in industrial engineering from the University of Pittsburgh. Her primary research is in decision analysis, with specialization in military and security issues, including risk in voting systems, attack trees and strength of threat in mail voting, integrity of votes throughout the supply chain, poll worker education, and cybersecurity metrics and best practices. She co-directs the Empowering Secure Elections research lab, which defines threats to voting as systemic and an interplay between cyber, physical, and insider sources. Her work in elections security earned a University System of Maryland Board of Regents Award for Excellence in Public Service, the system’s highest faculty honor. In conjunction with Anne Arundel County, Maryland, her work in cybersecurity and threat training for poll workers received a U.S. Elections Assistance Commission Clearinghouse Award for Outstanding Innovation in Election Cybersecurity and Technology. Dr. Scala frequently consults to government clients and has extensive professional experience, to include positions with Innovative Decisions, Inc. / ITA International, the United States Department of Defense, and the RAND Corporation, as well as a faculty affiliation with the University of Maryland’s Applied Research Lab for Intelligence and Security. She is an associate editor for Military Operations Research and is a Past President of the Military and Security Society of INFORMS.
James P. Howard, II is a multifaceted professional with extensive experience in data science, consulting, teaching, and community service. He has previously worked as a consultant to various government agencies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Executive Office of the President, and the Department of Homeland Security. Additionally, he served as an internal consultant on scientific computing for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
Praise for the previous edition
Listen to Natalie Scala talking about election security and her book Handbook of Military and Defense Operations Research on Problem Solved, a podcast by IISE here.
“This handbook, edited by Scala (Towson Univ.) and Howard (Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins Univ.) comprises four parts. Part 1 presents ten key activities involved in operations research (OR), including mastery of data analytics, structured problem solving, and simulation optimization, among others. Part 2, titled "Soft Skills and Client Relations," explores the practicalities of persuading users to actually implement and test the theoretically developed OR solutions. The third part, "Applications," offers a set of case studies on how various OR techniques and modeling approaches have been applied in different contexts, e.g., cybersecurity, terrorist group activities, and engineering cost and risk management. Part 4, "Perspectives," deals with the relationship between OR and data science, and especially the issues surrounding modernization of OR education within the military to meet its inevitably changing needs both today and in the future. Though the emphasis throughout the book is on specific military issues and applications, the methods and cases discussed would be applicable for use in OR courses offered in nonmilitary institutions. In addition to being a natural acquisition for libraries of military academies, the book would find a readership in the libraries of all institutions where OR courses are offered.”
—CHOICE Review
"The Handbook of Military and Defense Operations Research is an excellent introduction to the application of operations research and analytics techniques to current defense related problems."
—Emeritus Professor Steve Horton, United States Military Academy
"The editors and contributors are a 'who’s who' of operations research professionals in the field of applied national security analytics. This Handbook should occupy a prominent location on every analyst’s bookshelf – from undergraduate student to senior practitioner – and its techniques should be in every analyst’s toolkit."
—Brian Morgan, President-Elect, Military Operations Research Society
"This reference book has important papers on all the topics needed for a practitioner of military OR to improve his or her skills toolbox. This book will not collect dust on a shelf. It will be used regularly."
—Professor Robin Dillon-Merrill, Georgetown University
"Scala’s experience and observations inspired her research interests as a professor and recently motivated her decision to write her first book, Handbook of Military and Defense Operations Research[. . . .] The book offers tools and techniques that help transition a person from learning operations research and analytics in school to applying it in a new problem space – namely, defense. Or, it works vice-versa; the same tools and techniques could help a person who has experience in the military but may not have formal education in analytics."
—Jenna Harrity, Business Dialog, Towson University"The Handbook of Military and Defense Operations Research will make a great addition to any defense analyst’s library. With contributions from some of the most well-known practitioners and researchers in the defense analysis field, this volume provides a great introduction to modern analytic methods and how they apply to critical problems in national defense."
—Andrew Loerch, Professor and Associate Chair, Department of Systems Engineering and Operations Research, George Mason University
