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Pentagon Plots Digital "Crystal Ball" to "See the Future" in Battle

Oh yeah, that's gonna work soooo well :nonono:

"But the computer said... " is going to be the new excuse for every SNAFU, at least the ones that don't start with "Windows has encountered a Fatal Error... "

(yes yes, "get back to work on the game prep" right ;) OK, I'm gone :) )
 
Deep Green has a half-dozen different interlocking components, including a "Sketch to Plan" program that reads a commander's doodles, listens to his words, and then "accurately induces" a plan, "fill[ing] in missing details."
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"accurately induces"? "fills in missing details"? good luck with that. don't we have any competent officers? if this thing ever gets onto a battlefield some sergeant is going to lob a grenade into it.
 
Amen to that...

flykiller said:
"accurately induces"? "fills in missing details"? good luck with that. don't we have any competent officers? if this thing ever gets onto a battlefield some sergeant is going to lob a grenade into it.
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Ain't that the truth. Or, is this some diabolical plot to get a foreign (preferably hostile) government to steal it and use it against us? :nonono:
 
And what will they call the finished product, given they had in the mid 1990's a Project Jedi, which involved Philips PDA's, using a very early version of Windows CE....
I know, how about Strategically Integrated Tactical Hierarchies (SITH for short)... :devil:
 
Deep Green is more likely Deep Doodoo, so how about Cerebral Rectifying Algorithmic Planner - that's C.R.A... er... well... you know the rest.

:)
 
It's hard enough for a human to determine the accuracy of information in any high-tension situation, let alone a battlefield. And nobody's shown me any heuristic algorithm that can even come close to the real-world capabilities of a human mind.

I say we name it GIGO. Because that's exactly what it's gonna do.
 
Clippy

You know somebody will suggest a small agent that provides helpful hints.

"It looks like you're planning an operation. Would you like help with this task?"

(Y)es (N)o (Read more on operational planning.)
 
OH so cynical minds...

Did any of you play any 'Real' war games? (by real I mean those used by the army to plan operations, that some times even succeed)
They are not that far from what you describe give it some time and some experienced field commanders and it can reduce the work load of less capable ones...
 
Yeah, but I've seen a lot of attempts at "artificial stupidity," and don't have a lot of faith in its interpretation of the input.
It may have a decent knowledge base for suggestions, but the (unexpected) corner-cases could get interesting.
 
not really, I guess

does SPI's "FireFight" count?
it was a simplified/unclassified form of a game designed for army training
 
Did any of you play any 'Real' war games?
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ever been in the field and on the receiving end of these sorts of brilliant ideas? I have. this system is bound to generate some real "charge of the light brigade" moments.

... it can reduce the work load of less capable ones ....
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I'm reminded of that scene in "brave new world" where the class D elevator operator is gently told "press the down button" until he does so.
 
Re:Brave New World
It was actually a Epsilon caste lift operator, not Delta.....
"Go down, go down to the 25th floor", the voice said...."
 
flykiller said:
ever been in the field and on the receiving end of these sorts of brilliant ideas? I have. this system is bound to generate some real "charge of the light brigade" moments.
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Yes and sometimes it is the other way around. The system (in this case old school war gaming-modelling) suggests a course of action while the powers that are, 'know' better or have political issues...

You teach your commanders to use the system, not to follow it blindly.
Detail the obvious, clear up some clutter (information overload) and leave enough information for intelligent decision making - a second chief of staff (or a first one if you are in a smaller outfit).

All of these are not easy and will need readjusting on several layers. Many of the 'small' details are vague - what is 'obvious' what is 'clutter' and what is 'enough'...
I think one good example is the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour. The war-games have been used not only to design the attack, but also to change the design of the attack torpedoes.

Avi
 
Detail the obvious, clear up some clutter (information overload) and leave enough information for intelligent decision making
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yes indeed, it all seems so clear and obvious in the lab. in the field, it isn't, but there's no persuading the lab boys of that. "we've thought of everything."

reading over the article again seems to me that one set of factors the system can't take into account is that generated by the enemy. I see that everywhere these days - everyone just assumes that the enemy will hold still while we maneuver into position and launch our little plans. he won't, and we're going to have a whole bunch of O1's and O3's looking to their PDA's for advice on what to do instead of responding to the field situation.

if we ever fight a real opponent again it's gonna be ugly.
 
It really sucks when the pop-up targets start maneuvering against you. :( They never do that in training.

How many times have there been problems with prediction when other people don't do things the 'right' way?

As for wargaming and training, the people on the ground need to be doing these exercises and gaining the experience first hand. That way they can handle exceptions in the model the computer uses.
 
Or when the enemy pulls a Patton?

You know... "Rommel you magnificent B@stard, I read your book!"?



Iranian NCO to his troops: "OK, the Yankee dogs are using the Micro-Dell P-43X Battlefield Predictor with the v4.3 Info-verse program, which says that attacking at his right front would be our worst option. Therefore, he'll be defending against everything BUT that... so that's exactly where we will attack! Insha'Allah!"
 
Yes, I have been in both situations: CP exercises and maneuvers in the field. And, the real question is who will program this thing? If its the retired generals that run exercises, you will hard code fighting the last war. Been there, done that, got the scar.... :p
 
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