ELIST8: Simulating Military Deployments in Java

C.N. Van Groningen, D. Blachowicz, M. Duffy Braun, K.L. Simunich, and M.A. Widing (USA)

Keywords

Discrete simulation, military, deployment, transportation, Java

Abstract

Planning for the transportation of large amounts of equipment, troops, and supplies presents a complex problem. Many options, including modes of transportation, vehicles, facilities, routes, and timing, must be considered. The amount of data involved in generating and analyzing a course of action (e.g., detailed information about military units, logistical infrastructures, and vehicles) is enormous. Software tools are critical in defining and analyzing these plans. Argonne National Laboratory has developed ELIST (Enhanced Logistics Intra-theater Support Tool), a simulation-based decision support system, to assist military planners in determining the logistical feasibility of an intra-theater course of action. The current version of ELIST (v.8) contains a discrete event simulation developed using the Java programming language. Argonne selected Java because of its object-oriented framework, which has greatly facilitated entity and process development within the simulation, and because it fulfills a primary requirement for multi-platform execution. This paper describes the model, including setup and analysis, a high-level architectural design, and an evaluation of Java.

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