Defence Special Interest Group

Aims of the Defence Special Interest Group

The aim of the group is directed towards the practical and theoretical development of Defence related O.R. and the promotion of a wider knowledge and appreciation of Defence related O.R.. The group also seeks to encourage interaction between Defence related and non-Defence related O.R. The group was formed in 1997 to provide a ‘home’ for all those involved in Defence related O.R.: customers and suppliers, practitioners and academics should be involved both as talkers and listeners. Meetings are held to consider both techniques, and wider discussion of the role of O.R. in Defence. Most of the group’s meetings are unclassified and open to all. Classified meetings, where necessary, are special events and require a MoD sponsor.The group holds meetings about four times a year, generally in the afternoon at Farnborough, or evenings in central London. Meetings are generally of the form of a single paper, followed by general discussion. Recently addressed topics include:

• Systems engineering for the 21st century
• The role of Artificial Intelligence in OA
• Two faces of Soft O.R. for Military OA
• Capturing the human decision making process in elegantly simple models.

The group has also held a two-day residential workshop on the future of defence operational research. Membership is open to anyone with an interest in applying O.R. methods to defence. Activities are steered by a small committee, and volunteers are always welcome.For the latest on Defence, why not join the emailing list. Receive the news by email and circulate any messages of your own.

International Symposium on Military Operational Research

The International Symposium on Military Operational Research (ISMOR) is recognised as the world's premier symposium on Defence related O.R. The annual meeting, hosted by the UK, attracts over one hundred O.R. practitioners from Europe, USA and other countries together for four days of papers, presentations and discussion.

ISMOR is jointly sponsored by the UK Ministry of Defence (through the Director General (Scrutiny and Analysis)) and the Defence Special Interest Group of the OR Society. It also receives strong support from the Military Operations Research Society (MORS) of the USA.

In order to mark the 20th International Symposium on Military Operational Research (ISMOR), the Military Operations Research Society (MORS) of the USA reprinted, as part of its Heritage Series, the Book 'Operational Research in the RAF', which was originally produced by HMSO in 1963, and captures the great contribution of O.R. to the Royal Air Force during World War 2.

In the reprint, the President of MORS acknowledges the 20th ISMOR, and the co-sponsorship of ISMOR by the Defence Special Interest Group. The Chief Scientific Advisor to the Ministry of Defence (Professor Sir Keith O'Nions) also adds his support to ISMOR.

Links

• 20 years of ISMOR - A Short Perspective
• Military Operations Research Society - You can find out more about MORS by going to their website www.mors.org
• Past ISMOR Papers - An archive of papers of previous ISMOR conferences, together with other material related to ISMOR, including the most recent calling notice and announcement, can be found at www.ismor.com