Unifying warfighting functions in mathematical modelling: combat, manoeuvre, and C2

Abstract

The outcomes of warfare have rarely only been characterised by the quantity and quality of individual combatant force elements. The ability to manoeuvre and adapt across force elements through effective Command and Control (C2) can allow smaller or weaker forces to overcome an adversary with greater resource and fire-power. In this paper, we combine the classic Lanchester combat model with the Kuramoto-Sakaguchi model for phase oscillators on a network to create a flexible Networked-Lanchester-C2 representation of force-on-force military engagement. The mathematical model thus unifies three of the military warfighting “functions”: fires, manoeuvre and C2. We consider three illustrative use-cases, and show that an analytical treatment of a reduced model characterises global effects in the full system. For inhomogeneous forces, we observe that with appropriate balance between internal organisational coupling, resource manoeuvrability and even weaker lethality, the force can be adaptive to overcome an initially stronger adversary.

Keywords:

• Lanchester
• command and control
• manoeuvre
• synchronisation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was funded by the Defence Science and Technology (DST) Group of the Department of Defence and conducted under its Modelling Complex Warfighting Strategic Research Initiative.