ADAPTIVE DECISIONS IN BALLISTIC MISSILE DEFENSE.

Computer techniques taken from the fields of artificial intelligence and adaptive programming have been successfully used to solve practical problems in the area of ballistic missile defense. The approach centers on the method of heuristic search, which is a technique that allows analysis and evaluation of consequences arising from possible future situations. These situations are simulated by testing known actions and decisions against the present state of affairs. Then, by comparing the results, a best action can be chosen. This paper describes the heuristic search procedure as applied to the problem of interceptor allocation and shows, through a detailed example, how strategies are configured in real time.