OPERATIONAL NUCLEAR EMPLOYMENT PLANNING

THE VERY POLITICALLY SENSITIVE NATURE OF NUCLEAR WARFARE WOULD PRESUPPOSE THAT THE ABILITY OF THE COMMANDER TO PLAN FOR THE USE OF WEAPONS OF THIS TYPE WOULD CREATE THE NEED FOR A METHOD WHICH WOULD BE AS FOOL-PROOF AS POSSIBLE. EARLY WEAPONS WERE DESIGNATED STRATEGIC WEAPONS WHILE LATER DEVELOPED WEAPONS WERE CALLED TACTICAL. IT WAS WITH THE EVOLUTION TO TACTICAL WEAPONS THAT EXTENSIVE POSITIVE CONTROL MEASURES, DETAILED TARGET ANALYSIS AND TROOP SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS WERE THRUST INTO THE MANAGEMENT OF NUCELAR WEAPONS. THE COMMANDER IS THE ULTIMATE MANAGER OF THE NUCLEAR WEAPONS WITHIN HIS COMMAND AND THE WEAPONS HE HAS BEEN ALLOCATED. IN ORDER TO MANAGE THESE WEPONS, ISSUE EFFECTIVE COMMANDER'S GUIDANCE, THUS ENSURING THEIR EFFECTIVE USE, HE MUST HAVE REAL-TIME DATA. THIS PROPOSAL WILL USE THE LATEST TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENTS IN AUTOMATION TO HANDLE COMMANDERS GUIDANCE, INTELLIGENCE DATA, AND TARGET ANALYSIS TO PROVIDE A DECISION AID FOR USE BY THE COMMANDER AND HIS STAFF. THE INTEGRATION OF TVA/ADF DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM (TADSS), TARGET ANALYSIS PLANNING SYSTEM (TPAS) AND ADVANCED FIELD ARTILLERY TACTICAL DATA SYSTEM (AFATDS) WILL PROVIDE THE OMMANDER WITH THE TOOL HE NEEDS TO PLAN HIS USE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS.