A METHODOLOGY FOR EVALUATING FORCE PROTECTION DURING A COMPUTER-AIDED EXERCISE

John Lewis Thurman-Captain, United States Army
B.S., United States Military Academy, 1988
Master of Science in Operations Research-September 1996
Advisor: Sam Parry, Department of Operations Research
Second Reader: Gregory Brouillette, Joint Warfighting Center

Abstract

The development of a proficient staff at the Joint Level is primarily accomplished through the use of computer-aided exercises (CAXs). The primary purpose of these exercises is to increase the readiness of the staff to perform actual missions from standing up a Joint Task Force (JTF) to redeployment of the forces. A measure of the tasks required of a staff is accomplished through a Mission Essential Task List from the Universal Joint Task List (UJTL). This document defines critical events and activities that must be accomplished to achieve the desired mission goals. The measurement of that performance from actual data from the computer model has been limited. This thesis provides a methodology that assists in the evaluation of force protection. This quantitative analysis can be provided quickly and concurrent to the exercise. Immediate feedback helps the staff and commander to understand why an outcome happened through linkage of UJTL tasks. This methodology was tested using the Joint Theater Level Simulation and the results demonstrating the methodology and analysis of the output are presented.