Mathematical model of a Marine Corps landing based upon intelligence estimates

Abstract

This thesis develops a model to assist in the intelligence gathering and operational analysis of an amphibious landing assault. It utilizes major intelligence considerations of the Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield (IPB) process to aid the force commander in decisions required prior to the assault. The algorithm for the model is written in FORTRAN programming language. Input into the model involves the weather, terrain, sea state and resistance the force can expect to encounter during each phase of the assault, along with the troop requirement to meet the objective. the FORTRAN program uses the input data to produce a transshipment network which will be optimized and solved by the General Algebraic Modeling System (GAMS). Output from GAMS is the number of Marines to be assigned to each assault objective. A typical amphibious landing network is set up in the thesis and output is analyzed in an effort to demonstrate the usefulness of this decision-making tool.