This research develops a new framework for performing military effectiveness analyses and design tradeoff decisions. It provides an extensive survey of literature for effectiveness analysis and multi-criteria decision making to develop a single consistent philosophy for such analyses.This philosophy is applied to a requirements and effectiveness analysis case study of a conventional submarine that is performed using Response Surface Methods to facilitate design space visualization and decision maker interaction. Measures of Merit are developed and applied to the case study. The resulting requirements space and methods to visualize and explore it in a decision making context are presented and discussed Lastly, a framework is proposed that would facilitate the concurrent consideration of requirements and effectiveness analyses with design and technology forecasting to create a Unified Tradeoff Environment that would provide decision makers with pertinent information to facilitate better informed requirements derivation and design selection.

The Naval Sea Systems Command has conducted several interdisciplinary studies recently, motivated by a need to address the high cost and extended duration of naval vessel design and construction. Naval architecture and force structure studies have been key components of these efforts. Two general approaches are available: development of alternative future fleet design and programming concepts, and changes in ship expected service life policy. These are not mutually exclusive alternatives, service life is a key variable in future force planning regardless of any other variables considered. In this paper, issues associated with both approaches are described and discussed. Potential implications for future naval force structure planning are identified and recommendations for future work are suggested.

The US Navy has been studying the technical and cost impacts associated with the availability and cost of fossil fuel contrasted with nuclear energy alternatives for surface combatants and amphibious warfare ships.

Finding a quiet, state-of-the-art conventional submarine in a large area is a challenging task and the potential impacts of the threat of such a submarine can delay operations and consume large numbers of military assets. At the theater level, a technological impact assessment of the operational characteristics of a notional air independent propulsion (AIP) system submarine design is performed using a mission simulation context. This paper refreshes the topic of conventional submarine design, provides examples of analyses that demonstrate the assessment of the performance characteristics of current technology, and provides aids for decision makers in determining the impacts of future designs and possible threats. At the theater level, a technological impact assessment of the operational characteristics of a notional AIP system submarine design is performed using a mission simulation context. This study investigates potential improvements by varying systems within the same hull form. The results demonstrate the probability of detections possible with AIP propulsion systems.