Military Operations Research: Origins, Recent Past, and Present

Year 2021, Volume: 2 Issue: 1, 1 - 16, 30.04.2021

Ugur Yıldırım

https://doi.org/10.52792/tws.916617

Abstract

Operations Research (OR) (also called Operational Research and Operations Analysis) has its origins in tackling military problems and requirements using scientific methods and common sense. This paper aims to provide an overview of its origins, a summary on recent past, and current practices. While many ingenious persons have come up with creative ways to ensure the military means and tools were more effective and efficient over the centuries, not all of these individual efforts can qualify as an organized scientific discipline. Thus, it is important to note that the author refrains from the premise of “the older the better” and focus of the paper is on “practical” emergence of OR as an “applied science” in the years just preceding and during World War II (WW2). Military applications of OR, where it stemmed from, are provided throughout the paper. After WW2, unemployed OR analysts started using their skills on making things better, more effective, and more efficient in the civilian industry and this tradition continues today with great success. It would be over ambitious to attempt to cover all of OR’s applications and contributions in a single paper. Therefore, the attempt here is to provide a glimpse of Military OR’s origins, recent past, current application areas.

Keywords

military operations research, operations analysis, operational research, World War II, applied science, radar

Askeri Yöneylem Araştırması: Kökenler, Yakın Geçmiş ve Bugün

Abstract

Harekat Araştırması (HA) (Türkiye’deki yaygın ismiyle Yöneylem Araştırması, Harekat Analizi)’nın çıkış yeri askeri problem ve ihtiyaçlara bilimsel yontemler ve genel mantık çerçevesinde çözüm bulma çabası ile başlamıştır. Bu makale HA’nın başlangıcı, yakın geçmişi, mevcut uygulamaları ile ilgili özet bilgiler sunmayı amaçlamaktadır. Yüzyıllar boyunca birçok zeki insan askeri yöntem ve araçların daha etkin ve verimli olmasının yaratıcı yollarını bulmaya çabaladıysa da, bu bireysel gayretler bilimsel bir disiplin olarak adlandırılamaz. Yazarın “daha eski daha iyidir” anlayışından uzak durduğunu not ederek, makalenin 2nci Dünya Savaşı esnasında ve hemen öncesinde HA’nın “uygulamalı bir bilim” olarak ortaya çıkışı ve buna ait pratikteki uygulamalara odaklanacağını belirtmek gerekir. 2nci Dünya Savaşı sonrasında işsiz kalan HA analistleri yeteneklerini sivil hayattaki endüstrinin sorunlarına daha iyi, daha etkin ve daha verimli çözümler üretmede kullanmaya başladılar ve bu günümüzde de büyük bir başarı ile devam etmektedir. HA’nın tüm uygulamalarını ve katkılarını tek bir makalede özetlemeye çalışmak çok fazla hırslı bir gayret olacaktır. Bu yüzden, buradaki amaç Askeri Harekat Araştırmasının kaynağı, yakın geçmişi ve mevcut uygulama alanları hakkında özet bilgi sunmaktır.

Keywords

askeri harekat araştırması, harekat analizi, yöneylem araştırması, 2nci Dünya Savaşı, uygulamalı bilim, radar

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