Python, Game Theory, and Warfare.
The Operating Environment.
How can game theory improve decision-making? Well, game theory is the formal mathematical study of decision-making. By applying mathematical models, we can minimize the ambiguity of our decisions. By evaluating a great deal of data into manageable models, we can impact operational decisions and fast-track the process shrinking the decision delta from information into action. A good case study of this would be to look at carrier warfare in the South Pacific between the United States and Imperial Japanese navies. This is a good case study as there are a lot of factors which could be largely uniform conditions shared between all belligerents. There were uniform environmental challenges and distances between command units, and the feedback loop was largely at its theoretical maximum for the period. There were shared challenges in logistics and supply, the food, water, ammunition, and fuel had to come from similar distances and therefore no one side held an advantage in that. One key factor often overlooked is that the operating conditions were identical. Poor weather conditions, rough seas, and foul winds had to be managed identically by both parties and would put operating strains on each group identically. The operating environment in the South Pacific is largely an isotropic plane, with uniform conditions in largely unlimited directions and distances without any real limitations except at the extreme end. It differs completely from the operating environment found by allied forces in Europe.
Game Theory.
Game theory allows us to create decision-making models, which reduce extraneous data through a series of filters. It reduces the unneeded data and concentrates data into manageable chunks of maximum utility as efficiently as possible. Game theory is much more than solely Prisoner’s Dilemma. As developed by the early specialists such as Jon Von Neuman and John Forbes Nash. A solid education in game theory should be mandatory for all commanders and taught informally at junior levels to increase mathematical and logical thinking. Game theory seeks to reduce the unknown and ensure that we may operate with increasing confidence within an ever-narrowing window. This increases the utility of our resources and inputs allowing us to do more with less as we have maximised our focus to defeat the enemy.
Python and Mathematics.
Python as a computer language is an excellent choice for analyzing data and information in a quick and accessible manner. Not that military commanders all require the mathematics and computer science education that comes through Python, but formalizing the lessons and reducing them to as simple as possible means that the methodology can be appreciated as easily as possible. As Python is geared towards mathematics and data analysis, it has become a great language for breaking down components to be compared mathematically using arrays, for example.
Historical study leading to future-proofing.
Not that this study means learning the challenges of the past means that we can easily criticize the past and the previous actors, it means we have the opportunity to prevent the same failures that beset previous actors and their commands. When we study past historical engagements, we can formalize as much as possible, the methods that bring success (victory) and use that as a basis for education and training.
