Dropouts in combat: a stochastic model

Abstract

Stochastic models of combat which have been proposed consider that the personnel on the battlefield participate fully in the battle. Observation of behavior is combat indicates that a significant portion of the forces involved do not fire their weapons. There personnel are termed dropouts and the drop-out phenomenon is discussed. A probabilistic model of combat which considers both casualty generation and the drop-out phenonmenon is proposed. This combat model has time variable rates associated with the attrition of the opposing sides. With the relaxation of this assumption, the stochastic combat model Is shown to have an expected value which approximates Lanchester's Linear Law.