Game2Win™: Game-based Optimization of BMDS Assets

The sheer complexity of a Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) engagement renders conventional optimization techniques ineffective/inapplicable for sensor and weapon resource management. Game theory, a branch of applied mathematics and economics, provides a promising approach to such problems by extending conventional optimization approaches to situations where multiple players make decisions with a view to maximizing their respective payoffs, often at the expense of other players and their interests. In particular, game theory applies to Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) problems that are concerned with optimizing the use of available BMDS assets through effective allocation and management of the right sensors and weapons to incoming threats. Phase I of this effort will develop a mathematical model of a BMD engagement that demonstrates the effects of changes to offense and defense options which account for the factors mentioned above. Using game-theoretic techniques, Phase I will specify techniques for computing optimum strategies for both offense and defense using simulated data.