A Theory of Reconnaissance: I

Abstract

A study is made of the optimum distribution of aerial reconnaissance effort against land targets in the presence of decoys. The model considered is one in which the reconnoitering forces allocate effort among various regions, their objective being the location of the targets, assuming that the side being reconnoitered is passive. The information function of the theory of communication is chosen as the measure of effectiveness. It is proved that under certain reasonable assumptions the information function is increasing and convex-concave. Thus the problem is reduced to a familiar one in operations research, the maximization of the sum of several convex-concave functions subject to linear side conditions.