A rational calculus of war and peace: Applying the ROI objective function to military strategy

Brett D Steele

International Journal of Development and Conflict, 2014, vol. 4, issue 1, 1-34

Abstract: This article furnishes an analytical approach to military strategy by applying a return-on-investment (ROI) model of a commercial industrial firm. A fundamental relationship thus emerges between a military campaign’s profitability and (1) the lethality level and frequency of its discrete attacks, (2) demand-side investments in propaganda design and distribution processes, and (3) supply-side investments in operational design and tactical processes. While presenting the common analytical foundation of military and business strategies, the significant differences between their output’s average-benefit and average- cost functions are revealed. As a result, a systematic means is furnished for analyzing military strategy of both conventional and irregular warfare.

Keywords: Return on investment; cost; benefit; strategy; propaganda; tactical; operational (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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