The Measurement of Combat Effectiveness

• DOI: 10.1287/opre.16.2.314
• Publication Date: 2008-11-08T13:45:52Z
• Authors: Philip Hayward

This paper proposes that a satisfactory quantitative measure of the combat effectiveness of a military force is its probability of success in combat. The probability of success depends not only on the capabilities of the specified force but also on the nature of the enemy, the combat environment, and the mission. Since it is impractical to measure combat effectiveness experimentally, i.e., in actual combat, military judgment must be called on to specify the relation between the probability of success and the parameters of force capability, environment, and mission.