An approach to planning the use of units of Serbian Armed Forces in emergency situations caused by floods

Abstract

The paper deals with the issue of decision-making (planning phase as a procedural function of management in defence) in the use of units of the Serbian Armed Forces (SAF) in emergencies caused by floods. The basis of the paper is the data obtained on the basis of insight into the documents of the units of the SAF and civilian authorities engaged in the endangered area of the city municipality of Obrenovac during the floods in May 2014. The paper presents an approach to the application of multi-criteria decision-making methods in deciding on the use of units of the SAF in the endangered area. The focus of the paper is on the presentation of an instrument that can be used in the SAF when deciding in the case of choosing a ferry crossing point for crossing the water obstacle for the evacuation of people and material goods. The choice of the ferry crossing point is made in the catchment of the river Sava, ie on one river section. The method used in this paper is a combination of elements of the AHP method and the basic ELECTRE method. By applying the AHP method, it is possible to better rank the alternatives within the ELECTRE method, ie a more stable and reliable solution to the problem is reached. The research question posed in the paper is: "Is there a possibility of applying the method of multi-criteria decision-making when planning the use of units of the SAF?". By applying the combined AHP-ELECTRE method in solving the problem - choosing the ferry crossing point, the results showed that there is a possibility of applying the method of multi-criteria decisionmaking when planning the use of units of the SAF. Also, the paper points out the shortcomings of the application of these methods, primarily due to the partial approach to problem solving.