Determination of an Optimal Plan for Supplying an Infantry Battalion in Combat Conditions

The modern battle field is characterized by an increasing number of indispensable information in decision making process, and as a consequence the increasing importance of software components in weapons systems. Under current conditions the commander can not only rely on experience and intuition, so it needs an information-based analytical thinking and reasoning. In this context, the operational research, with its methods and models, represents the scientific basis on which a rational and optimal decision is supported, by involving a minimal risk. This paper presents the optimization of military action, showing how to solve a practical problem using the transportation problem. The paper combines mathematical methods for solving the problem of transport with the requirements imposed by the tactical situations parameters encountered in the course of military operations by exemplifying a complex military operation.