Military operational analysis is a broad field that encompasses a range of activities, from analyzing the potential outcomes of combat to understanding the likely cognitive effects of informational activity and outreach. The Armed Tactical Analysis Center (ATAC) uses its extensive experience in military and civil aviation operations to conduct studies that help military services analyze operational alternatives to meet complex aviation operations and training requirements. Upon completion of this curriculum, a master's degree in Operations Research is obtained and an officer is qualified as a subspecialist in operations analysis with a subspecialty code of 3211P. The objective of this research area is to develop knowledge and provide support mainly to the Swedish Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defense through the analysis of military operations and the research of defense policies.
Support is provided mainly in planning, implementation and evaluation tasks, at the military strategic, operational and tactical levels, both in terms of operations and preparedness and in the development of the force structure. The research area includes competencies in, among other things, the development of military capabilities and military operations, as well as in strategic and policy issues related to defense. These studies assess the capacity, performance, and sustainability of airfields, auxiliary training centers, military airspace, shooting ranges, and other resources, and also examine interactions between military operating units or military and civil aviation operations in a mixed environment. The ATAC uses a unique combination of raw radar data from multiple sources, combined with advanced models and simulations to articulate possible impacts on the military mission or on neighboring communities, and examines multiple changes in operational scenarios.
The Operations Analysis (OA) curriculum was founded by the Navy in 1951, with the purpose of conserving, developing and enacting the operational research (OR) methods that were used so successfully in World War II. The Forces Operational Intelligence (FOI) employs military operations analysts to provide support in applied science and analysis. This education improves performance in all functions throughout a military career, including operational billets, technical management tasks, and policy-making positions. Some examples of tasks that FOI operations analysts support are the long-term planning of the structure of the military forces and the defense planning of the Swedish Armed Forces, as well as the work of the Ministry of Defense in the area of defense economics and material supply.
In many of these studies, the results of the ATAC provided the required operational information and was used as input for the subsequent analysis of noise and other environmental impacts required under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
