Book reviews

Soviet Nuclear Strategy from Stalin to Gorbachev: a Revolution in Soviet Military and Political Thinking. By Honore M. Catudal. Mansell, London (1988), ISBN 0–7201–2000–4, £25.00

The Military: More Than Just a Job? Edited by Charles C. Moskos and Frank R. Wood. Pergamon‐Brassey's, London (1988), ISBN 0–08–034321‐X, £17.00 ($30.00)

Douglas Haig, 1861–1928. By Gerard J. de Groot. Unwin Hyman, London (1988), ISBN 004 4401922, £20.00

Defence Policy Making. A Comparative Analysis. Edited by G. M. Dillon. Leicester University Press, Leicester (1988), ISBN 0–715–1268–5, £10.95

The Future of U.K. Air Power. Edited by P. Sabin. Brassey's, London (1988), ISBN 0–08–035825‐X (hardcover), 0–08–036256–7 (flexicover), hardcover £18.95 ($34.00), flexicover £9.95 ($17.95)     

Book reviews

Export or Die: Britain's Defence Trade with Iran and Iraq. by Davina Miller, London: Cassell, 1996, ISBN 0-304-33852-4 (hbk), £40.00, 04-33853-2 (pbk), £11.99.

The Storm Passed By: Ireland and the Battle of the Atlantic, 1940-1941. by Trevor Allen, Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1996, ISBN 0-7165-2616-6, (hbk) £17.50.

Arms Control Toward the 21st Century. by Jeffrey A. Larsen and Greqory J. Rattray (eds). Boulder: Lynne Rienner, 1996.

Asia-Pacific Security, Less Uncertainty, New Opportunities. Edited by Gary Klintworth. Melbourne: Addison Wesley Longman, 1996, ISBN 0-582-80321-7, £24.99.

Masters of War, Military Dissent and Politics in the Vietnam Era. by Robert Buzzanco, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996, ISBN 0-521-48046-9 (hbk), £29.95

Controlling the Arms Trade: the West Versus the Rest. By Paul Cornish, London: Bowerdean Publishing Co., 1996, ISBN 0-906097-44-4 (pbk), £9.99.

Secret Agencies: US Intelligence in a Hostile World. by Loch K. Johnson, London: Yale University Press, 1997, ISBN 0-300-06611-2 (hbk), £22.50.     

A linear programming solution to the generalized rectangular distance weber problem

The Weber Problem generalized to the location of several new points with respect to existing points is formulated as a linear programming problem under the assumption that distances are rectangular. The dual problem is then formulated and subsequently reduced to a problem with substantially fewer variables and constraints than required by an existent alternative linear programming formulation. Flows may exist between new as well as between new and existing points. Linear constraints can be imposed to restrict the location of new points. Pairwise constraints limiting distances between new points and between new and existing points can also be accommodated.     

An analysis of the long range operating characteristics of the MIL-STD-105D sampling scheme and some suggested modifications

An integral part of the MIL–STD–105D scheme for sampling inspection by attributes is the transfer from normal inspection to reduced or tightened inspection when the historical record of inspected lots suggests unusually good or bad quality. The switching rules in MIL–STD–105D have been criticized, especially by Japanese manufacturers, as being too severe when what is defined as acceptable quality material is submitted. This paper examines the long range fraction of lots rejected for several MIL–STD–105D sampling plans by using the MIL–STD–105D switching rules, using a modification suggested by the Japanese Standards Association, and by using a second modification developed by the authors. The Japanese Standards Association switching rules are more complex than those in MIL–STD–105D. It is demonstrated that they lead to improved long–range properties for Normal–Tightened–Reduced schemes, but to poorer properties for Normal–Tightened schemes. A simplified set of switching rules is suggested, wherein the “limit numbers” in MIL–STD–105D are eliminated. In comparison to MIL–STD–105D, the simpler rules lead to a lower probability of rejection for good lots and a comparable probability of rejection for bad lots.     

Theoretical analysis of the general linear model for lanchester - type combat between two homogeneous forces

This paper studies Lanchester-type combat between two homogeneous forces modeled by the so-called general linear model with continuous replacements/withdrawals. It demonstrates that this model can be transformed into a simpler canonical form, which is also shown to arise from fixed-force-level-breakpoint battles modeled by Lanchester-type equations for modern warfare. Analytical expressions for the force levels for the general variable coefficient linear model with continuous replacements/withdrawals are constructed out of so-called general Lanchester functions for the model without replacements/withdrawals, for which all solutions are shown to be nonoscillatory in the strict sense. These force-level results are unfortunately so complicated and opaque that the constant-coefficient version of the model must be studied before any insights into the dynamics of combat may be analytically obtained. Thus, fairly complete results are given for the general linear model with constant attrition-rate coefficients and constant rates of replacement/withdrawal. However, the expressions for the force levels are still so complicated that we have not been able to develop battle-outcome prediction conditions directly from them alone but have had to establish general results on the qualitative behavior of solutions. A significant result (and one that greatly complicates the prediction of battle outcome) is that all solutions to the model with replacements/withdrawals are no longer necessarily nonoscillatory in the strict sense, i.e., both sides force levels can take on negative values if the force-on-force attrition equations are not “turned off” at the right time. Thus, this paper shows that the addition of continuous replacements/withdrawals to a Lanchester-type model may significantly change the qualitative behavior of the force-level trajectories. Battle-outcome prediction conditions are nevertheless given, and important insights into the dynamics of combat are briefly indicated.     

Systems defense games: Colonel blotto,command and control

The classical “Colonel Blotto” games of force allocation are generalized to include situations in which there are complementarities among the targets being defended. The complementarities are represented by means of a system “characteristic function,” and a valuation technique from the theory of cooperative games is seen to indicate the optimal allocations of defense and attack forces. Cost trade-offs between systems defense and alternative measures, such as the hardening of targets, are discussed, and a simple example is analyzed in order to indicate the potential of this approach.     

A linear programming model for design of communications networks with time varying probabilistic demands

In this paper marginal investment costs are assumed known for two kinds of equipment stocks employed to supply telecommunications services: trunks and switching facilities. A network hierarchy is defined which includes important cases occurring in the field and also appearing in the literature. A different use of the classical concept of the marginal capacity of an additional trunk at prescribed blocking probability leads to a linear programming supply model which can be used to compute the sizes of all the high usage trunk groups. The sizes of the remaining trunk groups are approximated by the linear programming models, but can be determined more accurately by alternate methods once all high usage group sizes are computed. The approach applies to larger scale networks than previously reported in the literature and permits direct application of the duality theory of linear programming and its sensitivity analyses to the study and design of switched probabilistic communications networks with multiple busy hours during the day. Numerical results are presented for two examples based on field data, one of which having been designed by the multi-hour engineering method.