ISSUE 182 : Jul/Aug - 2010 - Australian Defence Force Journal

This new capability provides technical specialists for short duration ‘fly away’ teams in supportof urgent operational requirements. Deployed S&T personnel undertake jobs ranging fromproviding answers to questions of a scientific or technological nature, through identifyingviable technological options for improving operations, to undertaking studies that may focuson finding a solution to a specific problem or broadly exploring complex issues that need tobe resolved. These studies span a wide spectrum of scientific fields from mathematics and thephysical sciences to the cognitive and social sciences.The need to be able to undertake different types of studies, within a range of time-scalesand over a wide spectrum of fields, is illustrated by US General McChrystal’s assessment ofthe nature and complexity of operations in Afghanistan, for which he suggests a multifacetedapproach is needed. 2 In addition to the traditional activities of securing territory andneutralising an enemy—for which a technological edge is useful—it is recognised that thereshould also be an effort to gain the support and trust of the people, for which an intimateknowledge of culture, social order and interconnections, and politics is needed. Hence theS&T problem space spans fields across the physical and human sciences.Fast operations researchIn Australia, the undertaking of such focused, rapid-turnaround S&T studies has been dubbed‘fast operations research’ to differentiate it from other operations research (OR) beingundertaken routinely within DSTO and by specialist contractors. The potential for confusionof terminology abounds: operations (or operational) research is called ‘operations analysis’(AO) in the UK, with ‘OR’ used there as an acronym for ‘operational requirements’. The terms‘operations research’ and ‘operations analysis’ are thus used somewhat interchangeably. Amilitary perspective is well captured by Colonel Andrew Condon in his discussion of ‘TacticalOperational Analysis’. 3 Condon describes such analysis as the use of scientific methods, bothquantitative and qualitative, to:• Improve situational awareness• Facilitate decision making, and• Improve the quality and effectiveness of operational planning and execution.Furthermore, he links his perspective to the NATO description of OA, which highlights its:• Primary function in supporting good decision making• Structured approach, that includes a clear audit trail, and• Exploratory nature in being able to identify complex and sometimes counter-intuitivepatterns of behaviour.This provides a challenge, not only for scientists supporting current operations, but formilitary users of Fast OR. In Australia, the challenge of providing Fast OR is being met througha dedicated program of DSTO support to ADF operations with an operations support centre atits heart and a formal mechanism for raising tasks, effectively managing focused studies anddelivering the results in a timely manner.58