Landmarks in defense literature

The Cavalry Goes Through. By Bernard Newman. Henry Holt, New York (1930)     

Design and estimation for small sample sensitivity testing

In sensitivity testing for the Department of Defense, the high cost of experimental units necessitates the use of small sample sizes and accentuates the importance of design. This article compares five data collection-estimation procedures. Four of these are modifications of the Robbins-Monro method, and the other is the Langlie. The simulation study is designed as a factorial experiment with response function, sample size, initial design point, gate width, and noise as factors. The estimated V₅₀ and its MSE are the responses compared to assess the small sample behavior of each method. Although there is no single clear-cut winner, the Delayed Robbins-Monro (DRM) with maximum likelihood estimation and the Estimated Quantal Response Curve (Wu [21]) are shown to perform well over a broad variety of conditions.     

Analysis of a bicriteria location model

In this article a bicriteria model, formed by the weighted sum of the minisum and minimax functions for a single-location problem, is investigated. It is shown that all efficient solutions generated by either constrained model are also properly efficient. The bicriteria model and the constrained models are theoretically equivalent, but it is more efficient and simpler to generate nondominated solutions using the constrained criterion approach. When solving the bicriteria model, a critical range is found for which all properly efficient solutions are generated.     

Stochastic modeling for computational warranty analysis

We examine two key stochastic processes of interest for warranty modeling: (1) remaining total warranty coverage time exposure and (2) warranty load (total items under warranty at time t). Integral equations suitable for numerical computation are developed to yield probability law for these warranty measures. These two warranty measures permit warranty managers to better understand time‐dependent warranty behavior, and thus better manage warranty cash reserves. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2005.     

The formulation of some allocation and connection problems as integer programs

In this paper a component placement problem and a digital computer backboard wiring problem are formulated as integer linear programs. The component placement problem consists of making a unique assignment of components to column positions such that wireability is maximized. The backboard wiring problem consists of three interrelated subproblems, namely, the placement, the connection, and the routing problems. The placement and connection problems are combined and solved as one, thereby giving the optimal circuit connections as well as minimizing the total lead length. It is shown that under certain assumptions, the number of inequalities and variables in the problem can be greatly reduced. Further simplifying assumptions lead to a near optimal solution. Examples of other allocation problems to which the models presented here are applicable are given. The following concepts are formulated as linear inequalities: (1) the absolute magnitude of the difference between two variables; (2) minimize the minimum function of a set of functions; and (3) counting the number of (0, 1) adjacent component pairs in a vector.     

Models for multi-item continuous review inventory policies subject to constraints

Models are formulated for determining continuous review (Q, r) policies for a multiitem inventory subject to constraints. The objective function is the minimization of total time-weighted shortages. The constraints apply to inventory investment and reorder workload. The formulations are thus independent of the normal ordering, holding, and shortage costs. Two models are presented, each representing a convex programming problem. Lagrangian techniques are employed with the first, simplified model in which only the reorder points are optimized. In the second model both the reorder points and the reorder quantities are optimized utilizing penalty function methods. An example problem is solved for each model. The final section deals with the implementation of these models in very large inventory systems.     

Sequential bid selection by stochastic approximation

Suppose that a contractor is faced with a sequence of “minimum bid wins contract” competitions. Assuming that a contractor knows his cost to fulfill the contract at each competition and that competitors are merely informed whether or not they have won, bids may be selected sequentially via a tailored stochastic approximation procedure. The efficacy of this approach in certain bidding environments is investigated.